2021 Annual Conference - A Virtual Event to Remember!
CPCA closed out a landmark year of virtual conferences with our 2021 Annual Conference: “Building Upon Resiliency: The Road to Health Equity.” The weeklong conference offered an opportunity for attendees to connect and learn while keeping each other safe as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s conference focused on renewal and building strength within community health centers so that we can ultimately achieve the goal of healthy, equitable communities.
The content for this year’s conference, which was hosted in CPCA’s online learning portal, consisted of both live, interactive sessions as well as on-demand sessions that could be watched as schedules allowed. Each day’s content focused on different themes, including Business Innovations, Clinical & Care Innovations, Strategic Leadership, Policy & Advocacy, and The Road to Health Equity.
The conference kicked off with a live workshop with NY Times best-selling author Laurel Braitman, PhD, who guided attendees though an engaging process to tell their stories and discover the mental health benefits of storytelling. Other memorable highlights included hearing from California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta, who shared how he has led statewide fights for racial, economic and environmental justice, and Emmy Award winning co-Anchor for NBC News’ Nightline, Ju-Ju Chang. CPCA’s Senior Vice President & Chief Program officer Val Gotingco Sheehan moderated the session with Juju Chang, and it was inspiring to hear two strong, successful Asian women discuss the impact of systemic racism on our country and how healthcare disparities have been laid bare throughout the pandemic.
In addition to hearing from our keynote speakers, conference attendees also had the opportunity to learn from the amazing organizations supporting the event at the two live Exhibitor Round Robin sessions. The booths in the virtual tradeshow provided even more valuable resources for members, as well as chances to win great prizes and swag!
On the final day of conference, CPCA’s former President and CEO, Carmela Castellano-Garcia, Esq., was presented with the prestigious Hero Award for her nearly 30 years of work to advance multi-cultural health policy issues. The session was moderated by Carmela’s longtime mentor and CEO of La Clinica de la Raza, Jane Garcia. The conference closed with a prize drawing, and two lucky attendees won Visa gift cards for visiting our virtual tradeshow booths!
Congratulations to all the 2021 awardees!
We are excited to finally see you again IN-PERSON at our 2022 Conferences!
Information on our upcoming conference dates and locations, our safety protocols, and registration links can be found on CPCA’s website here: cpca.org.