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2026 WACHSA Correctional Healthcare Conference
When: 10/21/2026 - 10/23/2026
Where:
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Registration closes 10/23/2026
2026 WACHSA | Correctional Healthcare Conference
From Custody to Community: A Broader Continuum of Care
The 2026 WACHSA Conference is a premier gathering for those dedicated to the evolution of justice-involved healthcare. Our promise is to share best clinical practices, elevate lived experiences, and foster community in a reinvigorating, relaxing San Diego environment.
Continuing Education for Correctional Healthcare Professionals
- Connect: Build meaningful partnerships between professionals, students, and community members.
- Celebrate: Recognize the hard work of our partners through awards and networking.
- Rejuvenate: Learn and grow in a supportive, high-energy setting.
- California BRN Provider No.15404.
The AAFP has reviewed Justice Involved Health Care and deemed it acceptable for up to 16.50 Live AAFP Prescribed credit(s). Term of Approval is from 10/21/2026 to 10/23/2026. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Book your Room with The Dana on Mission Bay
By Phone: Call their In-House Reservations Department at 800-445-3339; and mention "WACHSA" (wash-uh)
Parking is waived for all of our guests.
- For those staying overnight, they will be receiving a pass to put on their cars upon check in
- For day of guests, the gate will be open for guests to drive in and park in our lot behind the lobby. There will be directional signage that reads "Event Parking"
Toward A Broader Understanding Justice-Involved Health | 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
TIME | SESSION | SPEAKER | |
DAY 1 Wednesday October 21 | FOCUS: Emerging Trends and Mental Health | |||
0700 | Full Breakfast and Registration |
| |
0800 | Conference Kick Off | - Barbara Barney Knox, RN, Acting President, WACHSA (Karina Purcell, President on LOA) | |
0830 | Keynote - Emerging Trends in Correctional Healthcare | - Dean Aufderheide, PhD, Former Director of Mental Health Services, Florida Department of Corrections | |
1000 | Break and Exhibits |
| |
1030 | Medication Safety Medical/Custody Partnership | - Elizabeth Harris, BSN MBA, CCHP, Executive Director, Sentinel Patient Safety Organization
| |
1130 | Networking Lunch and Exhibit Hall | - R1Learning Demonstration (30") | |
1300 | Beyond Good and Evil: Inside the Mind of the Psychopath | - Dean Aufderheide, PhD, Former Director of Mental Health Services, Florida Department of Corrections | |
1430 | Break and Exhibits |
| |
1445 | Reducing Suicide in Jail/Prison: What Healthcare Professionals Need to Know | - Lisa Boesky, PhD; Author of Juvenile Offenders with Mental Health Disorders: Who Are They and What Do We Do with Them? | |
1600 | Health & Substance Use Trends: Special Considerations for Justice Involved Youth | - Shelley Aggarwal, MD, Medical Director, Juvenile Custody Health Services, Santa Clara Valley Healthcare | |
DAY 2 Thursday, October 22 | FOCUS: Systems, Inclusion & Innovation | |||
0730 | Full Breakfast and Registration |
| |
0800 |
Implementing California 1115 Waiver and Medicaid Services for the Justice-Involved (90-minute Panel Discussion) | - Patricia Ceballos, Reentry Services Administrator, San Diego County Sheriff
| |
0930 | Break and Exhibits |
| |
1000 | Using Patient-Centered Documentation and Language | - Kristin Walsh, MD, Santa Clara Valley Healthcare | |
1100 | The Silent 10% - The Untold Crisis of the Justice System's Fastest | - Cynthia Chase, Co-Founder of The Gemma Project | |
1200 | Networking Lunch Session: Cost Reduction with Sublucade | - Jonathon Kelly PharmD. Indivior Sponsored - 55" | |
1330 | Optometry for the Justice-Involved | - Linn Hong, OD, Santa Clara Valley Healthcare |
|
1430 | Identifying, Supporting, and Managing Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Prisons and Jails | - Kelly Mitchell, Kelly Mitchell Consulting | |
1530 | Break and Exhibits |
| |
1600 | Trauma-Informed Care in Correctional Dentistry |
- Nicole Taylor, PhD. | |
1730 - 1900 Award Ceremony and Celebration - All invited | |||
DAY 3 Friday October 23 | FOCUS: Culture and Family | |||
0730 | Full Breakfast and Exhibits |
| |
0800 | Family Reunification Post-Incarceration | - Barney-Knox, MBA, MA, BSN, RN, Deputy Director Nursing, Statewide Chief Nurse Executive - Affie Tamuno-Koko, MSQA Assistant Deputy Director, Assistant Statewide Chief Nurse Executive - HQ | |
0930 | Break and Exhibits |
| |
1000 | Infection Control- Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C: The Basics and Beyond | - Bill Boylan, FNP, Regional Clinical Provider, Wellpath | |
1100 | Rethinking Accreditation: Program Management and Cross-Team Collaboration | - Heather Miller, MSM, CCHP, Director of Compliance, Wellpath | |
1200 | Conference Closeout | - Karina Purcell, RN, President, WACHSA | |
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