Empower Florida Conference

The second annual Empower Florida Conference was held in Miami on June 9 and 10. Over 600 providers were in attendance. 25 breakout sessions were offered, including discussions on topics such as Consumer Health & Safety, Person Centered Planning, Provider Expansion and Marketing, Employment Screening, QA Improvement and Management, Support Plan to Implementation Plan, Workers’ Compensation, Labor and Employment, and more. Empower Florida was the first major conference APD implemented a formal process to critique and approve in-service training for credits. Of the sessions offered, 19 were approved for the issuance of in-service training credits.

APD staff from the Southern Region were instrumental in providing support to the success of the conference. Evelyn Alvarez, Regional Operations Manager, gave the keynote address, while her staff provided support with registration and validation of providers’ attendance to receive in-service training credits. In addition, Jeff Smith and Gerry Driscoll, Regional Operations Managers from Suncoast and Southeast Regions, as well as Ed DeBardeleben (Chief of Quality Management), Claire Gilleece (Provider Enrollment), Christy Smiley (Employee Screening) from State Office, Leah Watson from the Suncoast Region, and Brenda Viera, RN from the Southern Region were in attendance and presented.

Gary Hartfield, Valerie Goddard, Michelle Tolini, and Aaron Nangle (the main organizers of the event) said the conference was a major success.

APD staff from the Southern Region were instrumental in providing support to the success of the conference.