RICHMOND, VIRGINIA – Moments ago, the 10^th Annual Virginia Health Care Conference, Virginia’s largest health care focused business conference, concluded. Members of the business community came together to discuss the future of health care in the Commonwealth and nation. The conference featured industry experts, physicians, and other health care professionals who addressed the challenges of COVID-19, inequities in the health care system, the role of innovation in transforming the future of our health care, and growing concerns surrounding value and affordability.

“The health of Virginia’s economy depends on the health of our workforce,” said Virginia Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, Barry DuVal. “Although the COVID-19 pandemic has presented the health care industry and society with many challenges, it has also given us a glimpse of what might be possible in the future. COVID-19 has allowed for a more rapid deployment of existing telemedicine technologies to make distance health care increasingly more plausible and it has laid-bare areas for increased resiliency. Perhaps this year more than ever before we are reminded of the strength and the resilience of our health care industry and the important role health care workers play in keeping Virginia moving.”

This signature event fostered key discussions that will lay the groundwork for the Virginia Chamber’s next strategic plan, Blueprint Virginia 2030.

Keynote speaker, Mike Petters, President and CEO, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), highlighted the significant investments HII has made to support the physical, mental, and financial health of their workforce, through a comprehensive wellness strategy that began in 2013. Operating in 42 states and 13 countries and employing about 42,000 men and women both in the U.S. and internationally, Huntington Ingalls Industries is the largest industrial employer in Virginia. In his remarks, Petters discussed how this comprehensive wellness strategy allowed HII to rapidly address the on-going COVID-19 crisis and re-confirm their commitment to the health and safety of their workforce.

Highlights from Conference Include:

Keynote Remarks:

Mike Petters, President and CEO, Huntington Ingalls Industries

Special Remarks:

Ed Pesicka, President & CEO, Owens & Minor

Dr. John Phipps, CEO, OrthoVirginia

Karin Addison, Director, Troutman Sanders Strategies

Bill Downey, CEO, Riverside Health System

Leadership in Health Care Panel Discussion:

Moderated by Sean Connaughton, President & CEO, Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association

Panelists:

Nancy Howell Agee, President & CEO, Carilion Clinic

Howard Kern, President & CEO, Sentara Healthcare

Tim McManus, President, HCA Capital Division

Al Pilong, CEO, Novant Health UVA Health System

Greater Equity in Opportunity for Health Care Panel Discussion:

Moderated by Jen Siciliano, Chief External Affairs and Communications Officer, Inova Health System

Panelists:

Courtney Christian, Senior Director of Policy and Research, PhRMA

Dr. Chimene Liburd, Vice President Medicare Operations / Chief Medical Officer, Anthem

Gus Nicoll, Chief Operating Officer, Bon Secours Mercy Health Richmond

Dr. Christina Stasiuk, Mid-Atlantic Medical Executive, Cigna

The Future of Health Care Panel Discussion:

Moderated by Chris Masone, Principal, Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP

Panelists:

Dr. Clay Gipson, Vice President of Business Development, Atlantic Division, LabCorp

Dr. Frank Iuorno, President, Virginia Dental Association

Dr. Mary Kay O’Neill, Senior Clinical Advisor, Mercer Health & Benefits

Dr. Robert Popovian, Vice President of US Government Relations, Pfizer

The full program for the 2020 Virginia Health Care Conference can be found here.