Prevention practitioners and scholars gathered in New Orleans Nov. 13-15, 2019, to highlight prevention as the missing piece between primary and behavioral healthcare at the fourth annual Integrating Primary and Behavioral Healthcare through the Lens of Prevention National Conference (IPBHC).
Three dozen speakers and presenters led more than 200 attendees through discussions on a wide range of prevention topics centered around the idea that all types of prevention services—from substance abuse prevention, to mental health promotion and wellness through primary care came together across disciplines in a comprehensive way to support healthcare communities nationwide.
Featuring dynamic presentations from prevention thought leaders such as Dr. Johnnetta Davis-Joyce, Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Richard Catalano, co-founder of Social Development Research Group and professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work, Debby Jones, Youth Development Coordinator for Wasco Co., Oregon, Child Protective Services, and Dr. Belinda Biscoe, Interim Senior Associate Vice President of University of Oklahoma Outreach and IPBHC conference founder, each session was designed to spark conversation regarding the development of an integrated prevention infrastructure while providing examples of communities where these ideas are being implemented.
Members of special Panel Sessions included: Dr. George D. Patrin, Founder of Serendipity Alliance Healthcare Consultants, Dallas DeAnne McCance, MPS, Director of Programs, National Center for Wellness and Recovery, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Dr. Sharon Louise Montes, Founder, Living Well Whole Health, Fran M. Harding, National Prevention Consultant, Sean Fearns, Chief, DEA Community Outreach and Prevention Support, Richard Lucey, Jr., Senior DEA, Prevention Program Manager, DEA Special Agent, Michelle Spahn, Dr. Janice W. Petersen, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health, and Craig L PoVey, MSW, Prevention Administrator, Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
Attendees were able to customize their experience during the three-day conference by choosing to follow their choice of four tracks (Research, Evaluation, and Education, Policy Initiatives, Clinical Practice, and Administration and Implementation) of plenary sessions, panel discussions and workshops that explored new ways to improve population-level outcomes of prevention through policy initiatives, clinical practice, administration and implementation of programs and continued research, evaluation and education.
Special appreciation to the IPBHC Conference Steering Committee for its continued support in growing the case for prevention as a key aspect of modern healthcare planning, as well as the sponsors and exhibitors of the event.
First launched in 2016 by Dr. Belinda P. Biscoe through the Southwest Prevention Center at the University of Oklahoma, the IPBHC conference was designed to enunciate the importance of implanting prevention into the delivery of integrated healthcare. As national leaders in the prevention field, IPBHC is committed to improving behavioral and primary health outcomes by integrating these with the science and practice of prevention across public, private and community sectors.