Over 150 people from around Pennsylvania gathered yesterday in Mechanicsburg for the first of its kind Pennsylvania Accord, convened by the Pennsylvania Culture Change Coalition.

Yael Harris of CMS gave a great presentation in the morning, walking (literally) the attendees through some exercises that illustrated the power of relationships and coalition building.

Naomi Hauser and her colleagues from Quality Insights of Pennsylvania then introduced individuals from organizations that had participated in the QIO's workforce retention and individualized care pilot projects. (I will add more about these inspiring success stories soon.)

Representatives from the PA Department of Health then gave a presentation on how person-directed care practices are consistent with state regulations.

I closed out the day with a presentation on how regional collaboratives (within the state) can serve as a powerful force in changing the context of long-term care. Please check out the Pennsylvania state coalition link on the left side of the page for more info on how folks in PA are organizing regionally around the Almost Home documentary film airing.