CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) prioritizes community partnerships and interventions that advance the care that is right for them. In Northern Virginia, behavioral and mental health are top concerns for residents. While the pandemic exacerbated behavioral health issues for communities, it also shed light on an array of existing challenges.
With the community's concerns in mind, CareFirst brought local leaders and a panel of industry experts to our Northern Virginia Community Health Forum to discuss the state of behavioral health and how we can partner to address the community’s challenges.
CareFirst’s Executive Vice President of Strategy and Growth, Ricardo Johnson kicked off the forum by emphasizing CareFirst's commitment to behavioral health, community-based solutions and the role anchor institutions have in supporting a community.
CareFirst Behavioral Health Medical Director, Dr. Marc Dalton, joined the forum to discuss his perspective from both his role at CareFirst and as a clinical psychiatrist with more than two decades of experience at some of the area’s leading facilities, including Children’s National Hospital, the DC Department of Behavioral Health and INOVA. Dr. Dalton detailed ongoing efforts to address behavioral issues in the area. Taking note of the business leaders in the audience, he explained that promoting mental health was beneficial not only to their employees, but to their enterprises as well.
Dr. Dalton introduced the forum’s keynote speaker, Dr. Keith Waters, Assistant Director at the Center for Regional Analysis and Stephen S. Fuller Institute at George Mason University. Dr. Waters discussed the wider economic impact of behavioral health by investigating topics such as burnout, work-life balance, absenteeism and overall productivity.
The forum’s focal point was a panel discussion about the challenges posed by behavioral health issues moderated by Leslie Daigle, CEO of the Arlington Free Clinic featuring:
- Roya Ghazinouri , Head of Partnerships and Innovation, CloseKnit
- Dr. Linda Lang , Medical Director of Behavioral Health, Virginia Hospital Center (VHC) Health
- Dr. Rick Leichtweis , Executive Director Inova Kellar Center, Inova
- Dr. Shelly L.S. Powers , Provost Medical Education Campus, Northern Virginia Community College
- Dr. Darrell Sampson , Executive Director of Student Services, Arlington Public Schools
The issues discussed by the panel ranged from defining and addressing current local behavioral health challenges, such as access to providers, and identifying at-risk populations to forecasting future resource needs and finding opportunities for community partnership solutions.
The Northern Virginia Community Health Forum welcomed several local politicians, including Virginia state senator Adam Ebbin and delegates Vivian Watts and Mark Sickels. Their participation reaffirmed their deep commitment to the health of our communities and provided insightful solutions.
This forum, and others like it, are part of our commitment to those we serve, building on ongoing conversations with our community to advance accessible, equitable and affordable healthcare for all. CareFirst is proud to host these forums and work directly with individual communities on the issues that affect them most.
