Registration, Exhibitor Booths and Breakfast Open
More Information
Welcome Remarks
More Information
Kick off the day with a warm welcome from our Trust leadership team, partners and conference hosts, including:
- ANITA M. HALTERMAN, Chair of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Board of Trustees
- STEVE WILLIAMS, Chief Executive Officer of the Trust
- KIM KOVOL, Acting Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Family and Community Services
- LISA MURKOWSKI, US Senator for Alaska
- DAN SULLIVAN, US Senator for Alaska

ANITA M. HALTERMAN

STEVE WILLIAMS
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority

KIM KOVOL

LISA MURKOWSKI

DAN SULLIVAN
September 27, 2022 - 9:00 AM
Serving Alaskans with Complex Needs
More Information
- How can we better coordinate in our existing system to meet the needs on complex cases?
- How can we make sure our Alaska system of care serves these patients?
- What are some solutions that are working in the US, and how can we make such a solution “Alaskan?”"

Steve Williams
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority

Anne Zink
State of Alaska Department of Health

Jared Kosin
Alaska Hospital & Healthcare Association

Adam Crum
State of Alaska Department of Health

Kristy Becker
Alaska Psychiatric Institute

Nicole Nelson
Crossroads Counseling & Training Services

Kim Champney
Alaska Association on Developmental Disabilities

Richard Ellsasser
Southcentral Foundation
Reentering Society and Finding Peer Support
Nothing about us without us
More Information

Bobby Dorton
Expanding Alaska’s Mental Health Crisis and Suicide Care Practices
Current Initiatives by the Alaska Division of Behavioral Health
More Information
"This session will be broken into two parts and focus on the Alaska Division of Behavioral Health’s 988 and Zero Suicide work.
Zero Suicide: Participants will learn about the Zero Suicide framework, why it is needed in Alaska, and what resources are currently being offered by DBH to expand comprehensive suicide care in healthcare settings. The presentation will include an overview of
findings from the State’s environmental scan of suicide care practices in Alaska’s hospitals. Participants will learn about best practices in suicide screening, assessment, treatment, safety planning, and transitions.
988: Participants will learn about the implementation of 988 in Alaska and the role crisis call centers play in the crisis continuum of care. This presentation will include data regarding the demographics of people served as well as preliminary data around call volume and outcomes for 988."

Leah Van Kirk
Statewide Suicide Prevention Coordinator
Division of Behavioral Health

Charity Lee
Zero Suicide Program Coordinator
Division of Behavioral Health
Understanding Alaska’s ADRCs and DDRCs
How Alaska’s Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) and Developmental Disability Resource Centers (DDRC) help people with co-occurring mental health challenges and the providers that support them
More Information
people with physical disabilities, and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have co-occurring mental health challenges. This session will provide an overview of the ADRC/DDRC network and functions and describe current challenges in supporting these individuals. The session will also allow conference participants to provide input about proposed initiatives to help address these challenges. Finally, the session will serve as an opportunity for mental health service providers to provide input about whether and how they could build stronger relationships with the ADRCs and DDRCs."

Steven Lutzky
HCBS Strategies Inc.

Erik Peterson
Health Program Manager II
Alaska Department of Health, Division of Senior and Disabilities Services
Behavioral Health Beyond the Looking Glass
More Information

Karl Soderstrom
True North Recovery

Kara Nelson
Director of Development and Public Relations
True North Recovery
You Are Not Alone
What first person experience and storytelling can do to change attitudes and increase awareness around mental illness
More Information

Ken Duckworth
National Alliance on Mental Illness

Dan H. Gillison, Jr.
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Mental Health Services in Child Advocacy Centers
More Information

Leigh Bolin
Resource Center for Parents & Children
Addressing the Continuum of Adolescent Behavioral Healthcare in Alaska
More Information

Elizabeth King
AHHA
No Turning Back - The Future of Direct Support
More Information
Workforce trends in Alaska pre-pandemic, followed by COVID and the Great Resignation, have had a permanent impact on workers across many industries. Employers have been forced to adapt by offering increased flexibility and individualized options. What does this look like in the world of direct support, particularly for people who rely on in-person, hands-on assistance? According to the Department of Labor, acute worker shortages will continue for the next decade, if not beyond. What does true innovation look like? What resources are available and how do we leverage them to build a quality system of support in this new reality?

Kim Champney
Alaska Association on Developmental Disabilities
Safe Families For Children Alaska
More Information

Kristen Bierma
Beacon Hill
9 Core Messages: What Everyone Should Know About Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
More Information

Tami Eller
Center for Human Development

Teri Tibbett
Alaska FASD Partnership
Meaningful Transition in Rural Alaska
More Information

Rain Van Den Berg
Rain Van Den Berg Consulting
Mental Health Supports in Alaskan Schools
More Information

Sharon Fishel
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

Beverly Schoonover
AMHB / ABADA
Improving Psychiatric Patient Outcomes by Improving Psychiatric Patient Rights
More Information

Faith Myers
Intentional Communities in Alaska - Sharing the Dream, Journey, and Impact
More Information
in developing this community. Presenters will share the journey from ""dream"" to development to completion, and the resulting positive outcomes for community members. The desired outcome of the presentation is to share not only the process by which these
communities were created but hearing firsthand from community members how relationships have been strengthened and connections to the greater community enlarged."

Michele Girault
Hope Community Resources

Jena Crafton
Governor's Council for Developmental Disabilities and Special Education

Tom Crafton
Key Coalition of Alaska
The Intentional, Cooperative Village
Gathering for an Environment of Wellness
More Information

Eliza Eller
Project Director
Ionia
Authenticity = Recovery & Wellness
More Information
Authenticity grows when one can see themselves for who they are in their most holistic form by self-love, -acceptance, and
empowerment. As peer support professionals, gifting others with your stories of struggle, triumph, and self, is what brings recovery and wellness to the forefront and gifts your recovery communities with authenticity – You as Your Most Authentic Self!!!"

Jenifer Galvan
Alaska Behavioral Health
Evaluating Trauma-Informed Practices of the Alaska Alternative Schools Coalition
More Information

Curtis Smith
Co-Director of Research and Evaluation
University of Alaska Anchorage, Center for Human Development

Vanessa Hiratsuka
University of Alaska Anchorage, Center for Human Development

Sharon Fishel
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
On-Site Networking Reception and Poster Presentations
More Information
September 28, 2022 - 7:30 AM
Registration, Exhibitor Booths and Breakfast Open
More Information
Join us before the beginning of today's programming to browse our exhibitor booths and enjoy a complimentary breakfast!
Welcome Remarks
More Information
September 28, 2022 - 8:45 PM
"Transforming Behavioral Health Crisis Response In Alaska"

Thea Agnew Bemben
Agnew::Beck Consulting, Inc.

Karl Soderstrom
True North Recovery

Jacob Butcher
Matcom Dispatch

Renee Rafferty
Providence Health & Services

Michelle Baker
Southcentral Foundation
Cultural Barriers to ADRD Care
More Information

Steffi Kim
Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus
Getting to the Roots of the Problems
Traumatic Brain Injury, Homelessness, Incarceration, Addiction, Disability, and Dementia
More Information
incarcerated, homeless and abusing substances have TBIs that have not been identified or treated. Further, a TBI dramatically increases the risk of behavioral and mental health problems and greatly complicates attempts at treatment. Children with unidentified and untreated TBI are at a greater risk for intellectual disability and reduced life potential. A TBI increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life. The goal of this presentation is to cultivate a deeper understanding of TBI as one of the root causes of these problems and thus point toward an approach in which screening and treatment can reduce the sequelae of these injuries and improve outcomes."

Adam Grove
Head to Toe Holistic Healthcare, LLC
Therapeutic Court Alumni
Supporting Therapeutic Courts Statewide
More Information

Ron Wilson
Alaska Therapeutic Court Alumni Group, Inc.

Lance Hanes
Chanlyut Residential Treatment Center Program

Charles Diaz
Alaska Therapeutic Court Alumni Group, Inc.

Michael Mooradian
Alaska Therapeutic Court Alumni Group, Inc.

Alicia Westberg
Alaska Therapeutic Court Alumni Group, Inc.
CCBHCs (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics) in Alaska
More Information
The presentation will provide background, overview, and description of the CCBHC framework. Experiences, outcomes, and lessons learned from each of Alaska’s two CCBHC expansion grantees will be provided including performance measurement and management data and outcomes information; practical 3 lessons learned will be described. A discussion on the future outlook of CCBHCs across America and within Alaska will be facilitated and resources shared.

Dave Branding
JAMHI Health & Wellness, Inc.

Joshua Arvidson
Alaska Behavioral Health

Rachel Gearhart
Chief Operating Officer
JAMHI Health & Wellness, Inc.
The Work of Alaska's Dementia Action Collaborative
More Information

Pamela Kelley
Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska
Coming Home: Finding a New Normal for Ourselves and Those We Serve
More Information

Annie Thomas-Landrum
University of Alaska Anchorage / Alaska AHEC
All the Lonely People: Starting a Conversation About Social Isolation and Loneliness
More Information

Dustin Morris
AFSP - Alaska chapter

Brenda Fowler
Interior AIDS Association

Ken Helander
Alzheimeir's Resource of Alaska

Kathryn Fisher
Alaska Behavioral Health
September 28, 2022 - 12:45 PM
Granting Access: Dismantling Ableism and Embracing Neurodiversity
More Information

Haley Moss
Haley Moss LLC
Listening is Hearing
Lessons learned from direct services in harm reduction
More Information

Lindsey Grennan
Interior AIDS Association

Brenda Henze-Nelson
Interior AIDS Association
September 28, 2022 - 2:00 PM
Strengthening the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Workforce in Alaska
More Information
Scholars receive financial support for tuition, books, travel, and more! You will also learn about implementing reflective supervision groups as a workforce development model for improving the self-efficacy and job satisfaction of infant and early childhood mental health consultants who work with rural Early Head Start and Head Start programs."

Mary Dallas Allen
University of Alaska Anchorage

Cary Moore
University of Alaska Anchorage
Support for the Littlest Alaskans
More Information
Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about the infant mental health endorsement process in Alaska and see examples of the work being done in different organizations and communities throughout our state."

Lori Markkanen
Tanana Chiefs Conference
Driven by Data: Pay for Success Financing and Housing First
More Information

Sam Longacre
United Way of Anchorage

Melissa Merrick
Southcentral Foundation
Harm Reduction
More Information
Partners Reentry Center seeks to improve public safety and reduce unnecessary incarceration by addressing harm reduction and public health. We provide a program that provides individuals released from incarceration or treatment facilities a sense of hope and a menu of evidence-based services that include housing, case management, employment assistance, group meetings, and direct referral to behavioral health and substance use assistance.

Karen Clemans
Partners For Progress

Christina Shadura
South Central Foundation
Using Data to Disrupt Patterns that Lead to Relapse
More Information

David Reeser
OpiAID

Jacqueline Summers
Health TIE
Augmenting Care with Digital Therapeutics
More Information

Christopher Dietrich
Orion Behavioral Health Network
Changing the Workforce Landscape for the Better
More Information

Ric Nelson
The Arc of Anchorage

Barbara Rodriguez-Rath
The Arc of Anchorage
September 28, 2022 - 3:15 PM
Ten Years On - Lessons Learned from the Complex Behavior Collaborative
More Information

Chris Sturm
Center for Human Development's Effective Behavioral Interventions

Kelly Hild
Center for Human Development's Effective Behavioral Interventions

Eric Talbert
CBC Program Manager
State of Alaska's Division of Behavioral Health
September 28, 2022 - 3:15 PM
Improving Behavioral Health & Crisis Response via Community Care Coordination
More Information
People With Serious Mental Illness are 16 times more likely to be killed in a police encounter, occupy more jails than psychiatric hospitals, and cost communities $30,000 - $50,000 ea. annually to incarcerate. Law enforcement wastes $800 million per year engaging with and transporting the mentally ill. U.S. communities waste $32 Billion annually being served in ERs, jails, and courts.
Cloud 9 works with community behavioral health providers, emergency medical, first responders, and social services to address these problems. Our award-winning telehealth strategies and secure software help establish data and communications infrastructure that drives analytics and community-wide care coordination."

JC Adams
Cloud 9 Telehealth

Polly-Beth Odom
Daybreak, Incorporated

Helen Michealson
Sunshine Clinic

Christine Hundley
High Utilizer Mat-Su