A Virtual Event
Consortia Members & Affiliates $125
Non-Members & General Public $175
Keynote Speaker: Leighton Jones
Director of Emergency Response and New Initiatives
Direct Relief
Leighton is the Director of Emergency Response and New Initiatives for Direct Relief, an international humanitarian organization based in Santa Barbara, California.
Prior to joining Direct Relief Leighton led the Emergency Preparedness Research, Evaluation & Practice (EPREP) Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, which serves as Harvard’s Center for public health and healthcare preparedness.
Leighton’s background is in non-profit administration and emergency management having previously worked as the Chief Program Officer for the American Red Cross of Massachusetts and in various leadership positions for The American Red Cross and The Salvation Army in New York. He has deployed in response to numerous disasters across the United States including hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, and aviation disasters. Leighton also served at Ground Zero in Manhattan immediately following the September 11th attacks and led the Red Cross response to the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings.
Leighton is a graduate of the University of Plymouth (UK) and Harvard University. He is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) with the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM).
About the Symposium
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged community health centers’ emergency response procedures, planning, and ability to safely and effectively provide patient care in some of the most under-resourced communities. Disaster planning is critical now more than ever. With the onset of COVID-19, clinics had to rely on their continuity planning and consider special populations during a time when information was communicated at rapid speeds. The pandemic was not the only disaster to respond to—active shooter events, wildfires, security breaches, power outages and other unforeseen emergencies have also threatened community safety.
Join the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC) and the Community Health Association Inland Southern Region (CHAISR) on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 for the Emergency Management Symposium, a one-day virtual forum to share and exchange best practices, experiences and resources to heighten emergency preparedness, response, and recovery strategies for the future.
Symposium sessions will cover advanced and introductory sessions for both experienced emergency management professionals and those new to the field. The final two hours of the event will gather all attendees in a Tabletop Exercise—a simulated, interactive exercise to challenge current emergency plans and encourage familiarization with roles and responsibilities through a complex scenario.
About Us
CCALAC is a 501 (c)(3) organization representing 65 member community health centers that operate more than 350 primary care sites in LA County. Our members provide vital health care services to more than 1.7 million patients, the majority of whom have low incomes, and are either publicly insured or uninsured.
Community health centers are non-profit, state-licensed organizations that provide high-quality primary care, including medical, dental, and mental health services, to under-resourced communities disproportionately impacted by poverty and systemic racism. Additional services that can be found within some health centers include pharmacy, x-ray, radiology, optometry, obstetrics, specialty referrals, and other medical services.