This interactive and dynamic pre-congress workshop will take place at the 2020 International Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 28. AACIPM’s director, Amy Goldstein, will join esteemed colleagues to focus on what participants can do to help drive policy changes in their institutions, states and at the federal level. It will provide participants with strategies and resources to assist their efforts and describe how some state and federal groups have been successful in implementing policies that aim to advance integrative health and medicine. This workshop aims to educate participants about the policy-making process and provide concrete tools to empower health care providers and other advocates to foster long-term, reciprocal relationships with policymakers and other key organizations and individuals. While many efforts highlighted will be related to pain and the opioid epidemic, this workshop is structured to be applicable to a wide variety of policy-related issues. Participants will also learn about the current integrative health policy landscape at both state, federal and institutional levels and where, as individuals and an integrative health community, we can have a positive impact moving forward. Participants are encouraged to bring their specific policy goal or issue to the workshop for facilitated small group work on creating a tangible action plan to work towards their unique goal.

Presenters:

  • Susan Luria, Integrative Health Policy Consortium, Cleveland, OH, United States
  • Udaya Thomas, IM4US- Integrative Medicine for the Underserved, Hollywood, FL, United States
  • Amy Goldstein, Alliance to Advance Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management, Kansas City, MO, United States
  • Robert Bonakdar, Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, La Jolla, CA, United States
  • Alison Whitehead, Veterans Health Administration, New York City, NY, United States
  • Samantha Simmons, Oregon Collaborative for Integrative Medicine, Portland, OR, United States