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Peggy Terhune, Ph.D, president and chief executive officer of Monarch, helped plan and spoke last week at a national conference in New Orleans dealing with providing services to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

“It is such an honor to be chosen to co-chair the I/DD Summit for Open Minds, as they are the premier national think tank on Behavioral Health,” Terhune said. “I love getting the information, being able to talk directly to the presenters and ask questions.”

The Open Minds 2022 I/DD Executive Summit: Innovations In Care Delivery For Consumers With I/DD & Complex Care Needs was billed as the “must-attend” summit event for executives at organizations serving people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD), according to the Open Minds organization.

It was designed to provide practical and cutting-edge ideas for executives who are growing their organization despite the turbulence of the past two years.

This event included ways to innovate, integrate, and coordinate services catered to the complexities of this consumer population while laying out a clear picture of the future in I/DD services.

“I always find the networking to be the most helpful,” Terhune said. “I was able to learn what a number of other companies are doing throughout the United States and take pieces of those things to bring back for us to try. Also, the vendor fair was excellent. I learned about a new med system that is almost foolproof in not allowing medication errors to occur. Great info.”

Throughout the three-day conference, case study presentations led by payer and provider organizations discussed service delivery in a value-based model, care coordination options for I/DD support organizations and payers, the complexities of dual diagnoses of I/DD with behavioral health, and the intersectionality of I/DD and justice-involved individuals. Attendees were able to dialogue with presenters, ask questions about challenges & opportunities, and discuss perspectives on the future of I/DD care.

Terhune, who is also a member of the Open Minds Advisory Board, participated in discussions about the criminal justice system and the consumer with I/DD, care coordination models for the most complex consumers with I/DD, and managed care for I/DD services.

“I found myself in awe of a program that does diversion in Houston, Texas, diverting people with mental illness from the court system,” Terhune said. “The statistics were incredible, how much they have been able to free up the court system to deal with more important issues than things like trespassing or other minor crimes, but also how the people they work with do not reoffend. Amazing program.”

The 2022 Open Minds Strategy & Innovation Institute is the one executive event focused on growth – developing growth strategies and nurturing the innovations that fuel growth of health and human services. The institute brings together the thought leaders from organizations serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs to share their approaches to building service lines and service systems.