Alliance Alert: Don’t Miss todays (Tuesday April 8th) Alliance statewide webinar on the New York Health Equity Reform (NYHER) 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver from 2-3:30pm! We’re pleased to offer presentations from Emily Engel, Director of the Bureau of Social Care and Community Supports at the Office of Health Insurance Programs of the New York State Department of Health (DOH), Regional Social Care Network (SCN) representatives from Western New York Integrated Care Collaborative, Healthy Alliance Foundation Inc, SOMOS, Care Compass Network, and Hudson Valley Care Coalition. The Presentation will also include Harvey Rosenthal, CEO of The Alliance for Rights and Recovery, Brett A Scudder, and Luke Sikinyi along with representatives from the Office of Mental Health (OMH).
Key Topics to Be Covered in Next Week’s Webinars Include:
- Overview of the 1115 Waiver
- Explanation of the SCNs and their role in Waiver Implementation
- Discussion of the SCN services, including Screening and Navigation and Level 2 Health Related Social Needs Enhanced Services
- How Medicaid members and Community Based Organizations can best engage with SCNs
Background:
Medicaid Demonstration Waivers are a tool to test funding for services typically not covered by Medicaid. These waivers are used by states to prove the effectiveness of offering new services in improving people’s health and lives. New York’s new 1115 Waiver aims to reduce health disparities, such as lessor access to healthy foods among people in low-income communities. The Waiver aims to coordinate health related social need services, which are supports for social needs which have an effect on people’s health such as providing packaged healthy meals for Medicaid members, through the new Social Care Networks.
These networks are groups of providers who are connected through and working under a lead agency to coordinate and provide services to eligible people. While the waiver is complex, our upcoming webinar will help you gain a better understanding of how the Social Care Networks work and what Medicaid members looking for additional services should expect.
See below for more information, including a link to register for the webinar and a brief overview of the 1115 Waiver goals.

Waiver Panel at Upcoming Alliance Annual Executive Seminar!
The Alliance will also be hosting a panel on the Waiver and Social Care Networks during our upcoming Annual Executive Seminar (April 24-25) featuring Emily Engel of DOH, Shannon Buckley of the Office of Mental Health (OMH), Lori Andrade of Health and Welfare Council of Long Island (SCN), Jeff McQueen of MHA of Nassau County, Community Advocate Brett Scudder, and Luke Sikinyi of the Alliance for Rights and Recovery. The panel, titled “Transforming Medicaid: Navigating the 1115 Waiver and Strengthening Community Connections” offers another opportunity to learn about the roll out of waiver services and how community organizations are working with SCN to provide improved community connections and services to local Medicaid members. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how the 1115 waiver is operationalized at the ground level and how to engage in this evolving system of care.
We know this is a time of uncertainty for many organizations. With the ripple effects of federal budget cuts now reaching state systems and community agencies, we recognize the financial strain that many of you are facing.
In response—and in the spirit of ensuring access and shared learning—we’ve made the decision to reduce the registration rate for our upcoming Executive Seminar from $219 to $99.
This adjustment reflects our deep commitment to making this event as accessible and inclusive as possible for our partners across the state. We believe this year’s seminar comes at a critical moment, and we will feature a federal panel to help address some of the challenges we face and want to make sure your organization can be part of the conversation.
The Seminar will be held April 24-25 at the Albany Marriott, located minutes from Albany International Airport.
Don’t forget to make your hotel reservations, too!
Register Today!