Civitas Networks for Health Welcomes New Team Members, Announces Promotions
Civitas Networks for Health Welcomes New Team Members, Announces Promotions
Civitas Networks for Health is thrilled to introduce three new team members and announce two well-deserved promotions among our staff. The expansion of the Civitas team mirrors the growth of our recently combined network and answers the call for the engaged support of health care collaboratives, HIEs and communities across the country.
In their new roles, the Civitas team will continue to foster member relationships and support programming and initiatives in 2022 and beyond.
Please join us in congratulating these talented professionals on their accomplishments!
Jessica Little, MS, RD, has been promoted to Senior Director, Business Development and Programs. Jessica previously served as the Director, Grants and Programs.
In her new role, she will be responsible for strategic business development and revenue generation through acquisition, development, and management of grants, contracts and programs, as well as through membership growth and shared services offerings. Jessica will work closely with us to develop and implement business strategy for the organization, to report on revenue goals, and will support management and oversight of the organizational budget.
Jolie Ritzo, MPH, CHC, has been promoted to Senior Director, Network Engagement. Jolie previously served as the Director, Partnerships and Programs.
In her new role, she will be responsible for engaging our network of members and partners, including strategic internal and external communications, advocacy and government relations, and all programming activities, including oversight of the Civitas Annual Conference. She will work closely with us in developing Civitas’ member offerings and defining value for members in our work, as well as continue to find ways to drive cross-pollination between our member communities.
Shannon Peacock recently joined Civitas Networks for Health as Project Manager. In her role, Shannon focuses on membership outreach and operational support.
Prior to joining Civitas, Shannon worked in the health IT industry as a Senior Project Manager with the Provision Team, supporting two of the country’s leading Health IT industry alliances. Shannon also served as an educational administrator for over seventeen years. Most recently, the At-Risk Virtual Liaison with a mission to launch a virtual school and to support remote learning for over 10,000 students in Tennessee.
Heidi Penix has joined Civitas Networks for Health as Grants and Program Manager. Heidi will support multiple programs and projects within Civitas with a focus on grants and contract management.
Heidi works closely with Civitas’ funders, members and partners nationwide. She has more than 20 years of experience designing and managing programs, projects and grants for universities and nonprofit organizations. Her experience base includes federal grants facilitation, funding proposal development, implementation design, grants and contract management, research, reporting and project management. Heidi is currently pursuing her MPH at Johns Hopkins University.
Sanjana Srivastava recently joined Civitas as a Project Coordinator. As a full-time master’s student at George Washington University, Sanjana will as a part-time consultant for the Member Roundtable strategy and execution. She has experience serving as a communication liaison for onboarding regional sites and has experience building stakeholder relationships through collaboration. In her previous role, Sanjana worked with state governance models in responding to long-standing inequities in health services distribution.
January Network News
January Network News
On Wednesday, Jan. 19, Civitas Networks for Health members from across the country gathered virtually for our monthly all-member forum, Network News.
Thank you for joining Civitas Networks for Health members from across the country for our monthly virtual all-member forum, Network News.
During this month’s meeting, we shared network updates and member highlights and reviewed 2022 member benefits, namely the new Member Area on our website. We also discussed the latest federal policy update from The Office of the National Coordinator and The Sequoia Project, the release of TEFCA V1, and we took a deep dive into Civitas member the Washington Health Alliance’s organizational structure, governance and key areas of focus.
Civitas Networks for Health Welcomes Health Gorilla
Civitas Networks for Health Welcomes Health Gorilla
Civitas Networks for Health, a national collaborative of member organizations working to use health information exchange, health data and multi-stakeholder, cross-sector approaches to improve health, is proud to welcome its newest member, Health Gorilla.
Based in Palo Alto, Calif., Health Gorilla is a National Health Information Network that enables the entire health care ecosystem – patients, payers, providers, digital health solutions, and labs – to seamlessly share health data and aggregate each patient’s entire clinical history in one place.
Read the full press release and announcement blog on HealthGorilla.com.
HIE Roundtable #1: Governance and Oversight Models for Advancing Electronic Health Information Exchange as a State Data Utility
Governance and Oversight Models for Advancing Electronic Health Information Exchange as a State Data Utility
Monday, Jan. 31 from 2-4 p.m. ET
Join Civitas Networks for Health and the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) for a virtual roundtable series. The roundtables will provide a forum to discuss HIE governance and the role of states in overseeing operations and evaluating HIE use cases. Leaders from state government and HIE organizations will share their unique experiences, including successes and lessons learned. Roundtable outcomes will help HIEs and states align around shared goals and fully realize the importance of public/private partnership and policies related to topics that include, but are not limited to:
- Multi-stakeholder participation in the governance model
- Provider, payer, and consumer expectations and needs for accessing and sharing electronic health information
- Health equity and disadvantaged population(s)
- State regulatory climate and legislative goals for health care access, cost, and quality
- HIE capabilities and use case investment cost
States and each interested HIE are encouraged to designate one representative to participate. Registration for the roundtable is available here.
Note: Other nonprofit health data organizations aligned with states that are involved in similar work may also participate in this roundtable series.
Additional HIE roundtables are planned to occur in February through April 2022 and are envisioned to address topics such as HIE as a state-level data utility; funding and sustainability; and privacy and consent. More information will be made available in advance of each event.
December Public Policy Briefing
December Public Policy Briefing
On Dec. 9, Sirona Strategies’ Melissa Quick and Casey Osgood delivered a comprehensive and information-packed public policy briefing tailored to the interests of HIEs and RHICs. They highlighted relevant policy updates on pandemic response, health IT, SDOH and public health legislation. They also shared important actions that the administration is taking regarding pandemic response and future preparedness and their commitment to health equity.
If you could not make the session or want to review the pertinent updates shared, we encourage you to revisit the recording and to review the slides.
December Network News
December Network News
On Wednesday, Dec. 15, Civitas Networks for Health members from across the country gathered virtually for our monthly all-member forum, Network News.
During this month’s meeting, we reviewed network updates and member highlights, learned more about the 2022 Civitas Networks for Health Annual Conference and discussed opportunities to participate in workgroups and councils. We also featured a regional Civitas member partnership between the Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County and Santa Cruz HIO.
Event Recording | Collaboratives in Action: Responding to COVID-19, Dec. 13
Event Recording | Collaboratives in Action - Responding to COVID-19
Building on Health Information Exchange and Health Improvement Collaborative Infrastructure to Advance Health Equity
On Monday, Dec. 13, Civitas Networks for Health hosted our final Collaboratives in Action: Responding to COVID-19 virtual webinar of 2021. This public virtual event featured an in-depth conversation between Liz Fowler, Ph.D, J.D., the CMS Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center) and Lisa Bari, MBA, MPH, CEO of Civitas Networks for Health.
Civitas members Healthcare Collaborative of Greater Columbus and CyncHealth contributed to the discussion to share how their data-led, multi-stakeholder and cross-sector approaches are advancing health equity.
November Network News
November Network News
On Wednesday, Nov. 17, Civitas Networks for Health members from across the country gathered virtually for our monthly all-member forum, Network News. During the hourlong session, we shared news from the past month, including the announcement of Lisa Bari as CEO of Civitas, as well as member updates and opportunities to get involved in advocacy work and peer workgroups.
During the second half of the meeting, we heard from Civitas member, Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN), who presented on Empowering Data-Driven Decisions which featured their unique model of being both a Health Information Exchange and an All Payer Claims Database.
Civitas Networks for Health Announces Lisa Bari as CEO
Civitas Networks for Health Announces Lisa Bari as CEO
Civitas Networks for Health, a national collaborative of member organizations working to use health information exchange, health data and multi-stakeholder, cross-sector approaches to improve health, recently announced the selection of Lisa Bari as CEO, effective immediately.
The Civitas Board of Directors carefully chose Bari, who has been serving as the Interim CEO of the newly formed Civitas Networks for Health and was formerly the Interim CEO of the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC). She led the formal affiliation work to bring SHIEC and the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI) together as one new organization.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, there is renewed energy for the role of community health leaders to advance local transformation and bring together providers, purchasers, payers and patients together to meet national goals for healthcare quality, cost and equity,” Bari commented. “We believe that our regional and statewide HIE and Regional Health Improvement Collaborative members are best-suited to advance data-driven progress, support regional and national interoperability efforts and meet the post-pandemic demand to advance public health and invest in better systems and infrastructure.
Bari is well-prepared to lead the national network of health changemakers. She has a passion for health IT, data and quality improvement and leadership. She also understands the need for data-informed, multi-stakeholder, and cross sector approaches to bring about lasting transformation in our country.
Prior to her Interim CEO role at SHIEC, Bari was a civil servant working at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. She led health IT and interoperability policy for the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus model and helped author the CMS Interoperability and Patient Access rule. Lisa is clear that both health IT and interoperable data exchange are critical utilities in achieving health equity.
In the coming year, Bari will report to the Civitas Board of Directors, which is comprised of dedicated member executive leaders who bring regional insight and critical national perspectives on issues facing Civitas members and the communities they serve. The 10-person transition Board serving from 2021-2023 represents members from each of the former national networks, NRHI and SHIEC, and is committed to building a strong foundation for the organization and national network going forward.
Melissa Kotrys, Civitas Board Chair and CEO of Contexture shared, “The Civitas board is extremely grateful and excited to have Lisa at the helm. She is the ideal candidate for the role – her combination of health care policy, health IT and value-based care knowledge, along with her previous work at the federal government and her core leadership skills were all critical factors in the Board’s decision. We are confident that she will lead Civitas forward to achieve significant success for the organization and its members.”
Bari holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science from the University of California, Berkeley, an MBA from Purdue University and an MPH with a concentration in health policy and public health leadership from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Bari, her husband, and their dog Sadie live in Baltimore, Md. She is actively involved in community health care access and equity efforts and has served on the Board of Directors of HealthCare Access Maryland since 2020.
October Network News
October Network News
On Wednesday, Oct. 20, Civitas Networks for Health members from across the country gathered virtually for the first monthly all-member forum, Network News. During the hourlong session, Civitas Interim CEO Lisa Bari shared highlights and vision for Civitas and introduced the Civitas Board Officers. The remainder of the meeting was spent reviewing important member benefits and ways that Civitas members can get engaged with network happenings.
