Virtual Services Done Right: What it takes to deliver top-notch teleservices during and after COVID-19

Description

In the face of COVID-19, teleservice usage by nonprofits and social service providers has exploded. These quick implementations are commendable but fraught with potential pitfalls for both organizations and the people they serve. Zoom fatigue, poor client engagement, and provider frustration are all common complaints. There is perhaps no greater challenge and opportunity in our clinical and direct service work today than the way we respond to this call to action. Social service professionals of all types as well as those in philanthropy are invited to explore what it takes to thrive in a virtual service environment.

Key Learning Objectives

• Explore the strengths and weaknesses of using teleservices in a social service environment
• See which services are the best candidates for virtualization
• Understand why high-quality virtual services are about much more than technology
• Learn basic components of an integrated teleservices program
• Get concrete strategies for how to optimize clinical quality and the effectiveness of direct services

Presenter:  Kristin Carmichael, LCSW, MBA

Telehealth & Population Health Strategy Expert  |  CEO, Carmichael Consultants LLC

Kristin Carmichael is a former healthcare and social services executive, published author, and independently licensed social worker with 20 years of experience working on the front lines with high-risk, high-reward, complex patients. Kristin now partners with forward-thinking clients to engineer programs and coordinate communities to proactively address social determinants of health and health equity challenges.

Kristin is a thought leader in how behavioral health professionals and organizations can deliver safe, effective, cutting-edge care through the use of digital technologies. This passion arose from Kristin’s earlier work to extend virtual care in healthcare settings and across City and County social service programs prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. She now leverages this pre-pandemic experience to open up opportunities for social service and behavioral health providers to supercharge their teleservices programs with an emphasis on improving outcomes, access to care, and financial performance. As a former direct service provider and director of multiple residential programs, she understands the difficulties experienced by practitioners and organizations on their journey to offer exceptional care via tele-technologies. 

Kristin is a sought-after educator and has delivered presentations via TEDx, as a conference keynote speaker and session leader, and graduate-level adjunct faculty member. She has been featured in many media including TV, magazines, newspapers, and radio and has offered her expertise on a number of non-profit and government Boards and Commissions.