Opioids & the Workplace Summit
Join us virtually on May 1st and 2nd to hear from leading experts on the opioid crisis and learn how to effectively manage these issues within your workplace.
Opioid Use Disorder: Understand the Real Impact on Your Business
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The connection between mental health and opioid use disorder (OUD) is undeniable. To help you and your organization prepare for and address OUD in the workplace attend the Valley Leadership Opioid & The Workplace Summit.
Four virtual sessions over two days will explore the topics of stigma, opioid use disorder, impact on the workplace and how leaders can take action to support their employees and their businesses.
Leading local experts from Mayo Clinic, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and Community Medical Services will deliver the latest information and ideas for action you can take right now.
Event Agenda
Wednesday | May 1, 2024
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Join John Koch and Dr. Nicholas Vasquez to hear John’s personal story of addiction and discussion. Dr. Vasquez will share his perspectives from the Emergency Department on how mental health and stigma only amplify the opioid crisis.
Wednesday | May 1, 2024
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Join Dr. Holly Geyer and Kristina Crane to learn about the state of the opioid crisis on a state and national scale, the biology that drives addiction and the legal landscape for employers and employment regulations.
Thursday | May 2, 2024
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Join Christine Bracamonte Wiggs and Mark Carroll to learn why Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is prioritizing collaborative response to the opioid crisis and how businesses can work with insurers to better support their teams.
Thursday | May 2, 2024
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Join Nick Stavros and Debra Stevens for a discussion on the types of recovery and treatment options available for those struggling with opioid use disorder and why it’s good business for employers to support these employees.
Meet Our Speakers
John Koch
Director of Community and Public Relations, Community Medical Services
John Koch is the Director of Community and Public Relations at Community Medical Services and serves as the President to the board of directors for The Barbell Saves Project. Mr. Koch helps lead Community Medical Services (CMS) national business development efforts and is also an advocate of those experiencing substance use disorder at a government level. Since starting with CMS, John has helped work with a team to open forty-nine opioid treatment programs nationwide, as well as opening the first 24/7 opioid treatment program in the United States. John is alumni of Arizona’s Valley Leadership program, which helps lead the change on pressing issues such as health and education. He also volunteers his time dispensing the lifesaving medication naloxone to those experiencing homelessness throughout Phoenix.
Dr. Nicholas Vasquez
Emergency Medicine, University of Arizona, University of Michigan Medical School, and Yale New Haven Hospital
Nicholas (Nick) Vasquez, MD, MHSH began his career at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix in 2005. He served as President for Arizona College of Emergency Physicians from 2011-2012. He has been on the board of the Vitalyst Health Foundation and served as Chair for 2020-2022. He’s also completed of Valley Leadership Class 33 and the Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy. Currently he practices Emergency Medicine full time and volunteers both with Valley Leadership and on the Vitalyst Health Foundation board. His focus is on reducing the impact of the social determinants of health, mentoring medical students interested in leadership, Arizona Diamondbacks baseball, and raising a strong daughter.
Holly Geyer, MD, FASAM
Associate Professor of Medicine
Chair, Mayo Clinic Opioid Stewardship Program AZ
Medical Director, Mayo Clinic Occupational Health Services AZ
Holly L. Geyer, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Medicine and dual board certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She serves as the physician lead of the Opioid Stewardship Program at Mayo Clinic in Arizona as well as Medical Director of Occupational Health. She is the author of the patient education book on pain and opioids, “Ending the Crisis: Mayo Clinic’s Guide to Opioid Addiction and Safe Opioid Use.” She presents internationally and has authored more than 120 journal articles, book chapters and abstracts. She has a passion for public education on the Opioid Crisis and has been active in opioid-related policy formation and advocacy at a state and federal level.
Kristina Crane
Chief Strategy Officer & COO, Scientific Technologies Corporation
Since 2000, Kristina has been working within the immunization ecosystem to support the implementation of immunization systems and the use of data. She provides strategy for the evolution
of STC’s national immunization network, which includes over 80,000 vaccine locations and state IIS solutions. She led STC’s international immunization registry business, including use of the IIS during the 2022 World Cup. Before joining STChealth, Kristina ran a public health consulting business and online wellness platform to improve employee health for employers. Kristina has three children and loves hiking, running races, and
skiing to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Mark Carroll, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Health Choice Arizona
Mark Carroll, MD, is the chief medical officer for Health Choice Arizona, a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. He is a mission-driven physician executive and empathic leader dedicated to evidence-informed healthcare value and health improvement for diverse populations and communities. A diplomat of the American Board of Pediatrics, and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Carroll received his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School. He completed his residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a post-doctoral fellowship training in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at Stanford University. Early in his career, Dr. Carroll worked as staff physician at the Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.
Christine Bracamonte Wiggs
Dr. Wiggs leads corporate social responsibility, philanthropic investment, and public health initiatives for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Foundation for Community & Health Advancement. Leveraging over two decades of experience in healthcare and public health, Dr. Wiggs spearheads multifaceted strategies that support and elevate the health of customers, members, community organizations, and Arizonans statewide. A native Arizonian, Dr. Wiggs is passionate about working closely with communities to build the resources and capacity needed to improve the health for all.
Nick Stavros
Nick Stavros is the CEO of Community Medical Services (CMS), where he has worked for the past 11 years. Prior to his tenure at CMS, Nick served as a Captain in the US Army and after an 8-year career went on to receive his MBA from UCLA. Nick currently serves on numerous national and local boards and associations as part of a larger effort towards educating communities on the need to treat substance-use disorders from a place of compassion while advocating on behalf of effective modalities of SUD treatment.
Community Medical Services offers opioid-treatment (OTP & OBOT) services through 75 centers across 13 states with the Vision “To eliminate the consequences of substance-use disorders in our communities”.
Debra Stevens
SVP, Communications & Donor Relations, HonorHealth Foundation
Debra J. Stevens serves as senior vice president of communications and donor relations for HonorHealth Foundation where she helps inspire others to drive transformational care for our community through their philanthropic gifts to HonorHealth. Stevens has been active with Valley Leadership’s Opioid Stigma Reduction efforts since the inception of Impact Maker. She has become a fierce advocate for reducing stigma to support more open communication about opioid use disorder and support for recovery.