Archives: Events

Inflation and post-pandemic shifts in healthcare costs are putting substantial pressure on employers. According to Willis Towers Watson (WTW), over 70% of employers are expecting moderate to significant healthcare cost increases over the next three years, while more than 40% of employers cite managing employee affordability as a top priority. Managing costs and affordability have always been competing priorities, but now it’s crucial to balance both to meet current business and talent needs.

Learn from Jon Nilson, Senior Director and healthcare actuary with WTW, about strategic tactics and creative ideas employers are using to manage costs, maximize affordability and appeal to prospective employees.

This webinar is hosted and supported by Portico Benefit Services and is designed to bring the knowledge of expert practitioners to the Lutheran Services in America network.

Video Recording

Resources

• Presentation slides

Lutheran Services in America is partnering with the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and USAging to bring funding opportunities to our members through a unique vaccine grant initiative. Hear the most current information on how you can assist older adults and people with disabilities who have not already received their COVID and flu vaccines.

Join us in an interactive webinar on Thursday, February 16 at 1 p.m. EST. We’ll be joined by NCOA and USAging to answer questions concerning:

• How your organization can apply for grant funds
• Strategies for selecting the best grant opportunity for your organization (you can apply for both)
• Eligible activities to help marginalized groups that do not have access to vaccines
• Messaging to support outreach to vaccine-hesitant communities

There will also be dedicated time for Q&A to address any other questions or concerns that you might have.

Applications ARE OPEN NOW and reviewed on a rolling basis until March 1, 2023, or until funds are exhausted. Project start dates can begin now and close as late as April 15, 2024. This is a very popular and competitive funding opportunity, so we encourage you to submit applications as quickly as possible.

Read more about the vaccine funding opportunity.

Susan Stiles, PhD, is Senior Director of Healthy Aging Innovations, at the National Council on Aging. In this role, she oversees the healthy aging portfolio to include wellness programs, resource centers, digital content partnerships, and community center networks.

Deborah Stone-Walls is Chief of Programs and Services at USAging. In this capacity, she oversees the association’s portfolio of programs that help its Area Agency on Aging and Title VI Native American Aging Program members support older adults and people with disabilities as they live independently in the communities of their choosing.

Resources

• NCOA presentation
• USAging presentation

Join Dr. Dora Hughes, Chief Medical Officer at the CMS Innovation Center as she shares how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is encouraging innovation to advance health equity in rural and underserved communities across the country. Dr. Hughes will explore how the Center envisions advancing health equity through community-based providers and other non-traditional partners to increase access and improve health outcomes.

You will also hear from trailblazer Lutheran Services in America member Lindsey Sand, vice president of population health at Knute Nelson, and Donna Magnuson, Chief Program Officer at Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, on their population health strategy and the ways Knute Nelson is approaching partnerships with Medicare Advantage providers in Minnesota.

Video Recording

Resources

• Dr. Dora Hughes presentation
• Knute Nelson and Lutheran Family Services presentations

“Diversity is the art of thinking independently together.” Are you looking for ways to increase your cultural awareness, inclusion skills and diversity dexterity while leveraging current best practices for leading your organization toward inclusive excellence? Join us for a new series of webinars, “Reimagining Diversity in the Workplace,” with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) expert Tommie Lewis from Make It Plain Consulting. Tommie will guide us through the “who,” “what” and “how’s” of making practical and realistic changes in our lives and workplace to better understand our differences, foster mutual respect and build more effective working relationships.

Webinar participants will raise awareness and understanding of DEI; increase knowledge of inclusive excellence; develop skills through real-world DEI case studies; and create personal, team and organizational plans of action. You’ll be able to more meaningfully engage with staff, clients and other partners.

Tommie has worked with several Lutheran social ministry providers and will bring targeted understanding to the webinars. These webinars are for anyone who wants to build their cultural competency muscle and take it home or in the workplace. Bring yourself and your teams!

Tommie is one of those rare consultants who was able and willing to be fully engaged with the leadership of our organization as a partner, dedicated to helping us achieve organizational change and personal growth. Tommie’s approach helped us move toward creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace environment and the tools to think differently. I hope you and your teams can join this three-part series hosted by Lutheran Services in America where we will share learnings with others who understand our challenges in a safe and trusted environment.

~ Ray Ratke, President and CEO of enCircle

Previous Sessions

“Reimagining Diversity in the Workplace: The Who, What and How’s of Working in a Diverse Place” (November 8, 2022):

• Video recording
• Presentation slides

“Reimagining Diversity in the Workplace: How Others are Creating Welcoming and Inclusive Spaces” (December 6, 2022):

• Video recording
• Presentation slides

“Reimagining Diversity in the Workplace: Incorporating Appreciation of All into the Hiring Lifecycle, from Recruitment through Retention” (February 7, 2023):

• Video recording
• Presentation slides

About Tommie Lewis

Tommie has successfully guided companies, institutions and communities along their journey to equitable, diverse and inclusive cultures. As the co-host of “Diversity Conversations,” the national podcast show dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion topics, Tommie provides practical, research-based and outcome-driven solutions to complex individual, business and social issues.

Learn more about Tommie Lewis and Make It Plain Consulting.

Listen to Tommie’s “Diversity Conversations” podcasts.

About the Strength & Service Series

The Strength & Service Series is designed to help our member organizations nationwide—free of charge—stay in the know on new and evolving practices and resources, curating a broad line-up of topics and subject matter expertise. This interactive webinar is made possible by funding from a grant from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Special thanks to the ELCA for sponsoring this workshop.

Join Dr. Sara Bleich, the first Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, as she challenges us to examine nutrition security and how it relates to health equity. In this virtual session, Dr. Bleich will explore how the USDA is working to promote and elevate nutrition security to focus on ending hunger, reducing diet-related diseases and disparities, and accelerating health equity.

On leave from her position as a Professor of Public Health Policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Bleich’s long-standing research centers on food insecurity, as well as racial injustice within the social safety net. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of nutrition as a key social determinant of health, and how your organization can play a part.

Dr. Bleich will be joined by several Lutheran Services in America members to discuss how their efforts are strengthening food and nutrition security in their communities:

• Derrick Felder, COO at Lutheran Social Services of Nevada
• Jennifer Fralic, Director of Food Pantry Services at Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio
• Tiffany Mitchell, Psy.D., EVP and COO at Lutheran Social Services of Southern California