Chamber forum to spotlight healthcare issues

As Valerie Clark weighted her decision whether to devote a year to the chair of the Reno Sparks Chamber of Commerce, the advice of former chair Dee Schafer stuck with her.

If you ever want to make a difference to your community, Schafer said, the chair of the chamber is a great platform.

Clark took that advice to heart and spearheaded development of the chamber's first healthcare forum.

The event will run from 8:15 to 10 a.m. Oct. 7 at Atlantis Casino Resort Spa. The $10 cost includes a

continental breakfast.

Clark, the president of Clark & Associates, a Reno insurance agency specializing in benefit plans, hopes participants come away with a better understanding of the healthcare system and the factors that influence

healthcare costs.

She hopes, too, that participants will find ways that they can become involved in improving the healthcare system whether it's through corporate decisions to launch wellness programs or personal decisions to

encourage lawmakers to modify the system.

"There are a lot of things that we as individuals have control over that can make a difference," she says.

Cornerstone of the forum will be a panel of healthcare experts:

* Bill Welch, president and chief executive officer of the Nevada Hospital Association.

* Larry Matheis executive director of the Nevada State Medical Assocaiton.

* Michael Keegan, a director of state affairs with the National Association of Health Underwriters.

* Helen Foley of Nevadans for Affordable Healthcare, a group that represents employers who are trying to keep workers insured.

The presentations aren't intended to be political, Clark says.

"We just wanted to provide perspective from every single angle that we could think of," she says. "We want it to be easy to understand and comprehensive."

Online registration is at http://www.reno-sparkschamber.org/events.htm. Registration the day of the event opens at 7:30 a.m.

Sponsors of the event include Anthem, The Atlantis, DigiPrint Corp., JLH Inc., Northern Nevada Business Weekly, Renown, Retail Association of Nevada, Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center, Saint Mary's Health Plans and Universal Health Network.