Ohio Association of Free Clinics 13th Annual Conference
 
About our Speakers (more added soon!)
Kathie Brown
Executive Director
Wheeling Health Right

Kathie Brown earned her BS in Nursing from Alderson-Broaddus College, Philippi, WV and her MA in Administration from Nova University, FL. She has been the executive director of Wheeling Health Right since 1992. Prior to WHR she was the Nursing Coordinator and Assistant Director at Florence Crittenton Home and Services for 12 years. She is a graduate of Leadership Wheeling, Class of 1990; Past President of Soroptimist International of Wheeling and also Past Charter President of Kiwanis Morning Club. Member of Human Rights Committee at St. John’s Home. Past President and Current Treasurer of West Virginia Association of Free Clinics. Member of the Board of Directors of the Ohio Association of Free Clinics.

 
David Ciccione
Senior Impact Director for Health
United Way of Central Ohio
David Ciccone is the Senior Impact Director for Health at United Way of Central Ohio. In this role, he manages cross functional projects and activities designed to support all aspects of UWCO's community impact work related to Health. This includes facilitating collaboration among community agencies, donors, and other key community stakeholders around the development and implementation of specific community impact strategies related to Health. He came to United Way from City Year Columbus -- a local non profit organization that pairs tutors and mentors with youth in schools to ensure they stay in school and on track. Ciccone holds a bachelors degree in psychology from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio.
 
Cathy Corcella
Consultant
Cathy Corcella Consulting
Cathy Corcella is an independent consultant and grantwriter providing technical assistance services to non-profit organizations including Federally Qualified Health Centers and Look Alikes, Rural Health Clinics, free clinics, hospitals, community mental health agencies, and social service agencies. Services include strategic planning, operations, budgeting and finance, program compliance, and grantwriting.

Ms. Corcella holds a B.A. in Economics from the Ohio State University, and worked for the Ohio Environmental Agency for twenty years as an Economist and Fiscal Officer. Successful projects include Public Health Services Act Section 330 community health center grants, Federally Qualified Health Center Look Alike designations, medically underserved area designations, rural health clinic shortage designations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture grants, Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Commission on Minority Health grants, Ohio Governor’s Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives grants, Ohio Attorney General grants, and foundation grants.
 
Anthony Costa, MD
Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine
NEOMED
Anthony J. Costa, MD, is professor and chair of the department of family medicine and associate dean for community partnerships at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). He has been a regular volunteer physician at Townhall II for the last 6 years.
 
Mark Cruise
Principal
Free Clinic Solutions
Mark R. Cruise, MDiv, founder and Principal of Free Clinic Solutions, has 16 years experience in the Free and Charitable Clinic sector, including 9 years as Executive Director of the Virginia Association of Free Clinics. In addition to managing the company, he delivers consulting, training, and public speaking on a wide variety of topics and issues of interest to Free and Charitable Clinics, their associations, partners, and suppliers.
 
Lee Elmore
Executive Director
North Coast Health Ministry

Lee started as a volunteer at North Coast Health Ministry (NCHM) in 1986, and became part of the nurse-managed clinic staff in 1990 as director of patient care. Since 1995 she has served as executive director of NCHM.

The ministry has received great support throughout the community, including a grant from the Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation that enabled NCHM to purchase and renovate it its own building in Lakewood that opened in October 2003. NCHM, a faith-based free clinic, provides free health care services to low-income uninsured people in western Cuyahoga and eastern Lorain Counties and was founded by four Bay Village churches in 1986.

Lee is one of three founding trustees for the Ohio Association of Free Clinics (OAFC) and continues to serve on the board. She has also served on the board of the National Association of Free Clinics.

Lee is active throughout the community. She serves on the Community Advisory Boards of Lakewood Hospital and St. John Medical Center. She is a member of Lakewood/Rocky River Rotary and an elder in the Presbyterian Church.  

 
Michelle Emerson
Consultant
Raindrop Consulting
Michelle Emerson consults with HealthBridge on EMR, hospital, and lab interface projects. She also works with practices and clinics identifying requirements for HealthBridge’s emergency and admissions alerts product. Michelle worked with the HealthBridge Tri-State Regional Extension Center assisting practices in selecting EMR systems and achieving meaningful use. Michelle received her MBA in management information systems and her BA in psychology, both from Wright State University.
 
Rebecca J. Erickson
Professor of Sociology
The University of Akron
Rebecca J. Erickson is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at The University of Akron. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Washington State University. Dr. Erickson’s social psychological research on the experience and management of emotion now spans 22 years. During this time, she has examined how emotion processes affect the mental and physical health of individuals both at home and at work. Her most recent investigation is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation and focuses on the occupational experiences of registered nurses and how the emotional demands of the nursing profession impact nurses’ health. Over the course of her career, Dr. Erickson has developed valid and reliable measures for evaluating the quantity and quality of emotion management as well as measures of perceived well-being. These efforts have resulted in a number of professional presentations and publications within the areas of work, family, health, and emotion. Dr. Erickson served as Chair of the American Sociological Association’s Section on the Sociology of Emotions from 2002-2003 and currently serves on the council of ASA’s Section on Social Psychology.
 
Marty Hiller
Partner
Hiller and Servaites
Marty Hiller, Partner with Hiller & Servaites, has provided a variety of consultancies for the past decade, following a 30-year career working in the free clinic sector. Most recently he and partner Mara Servaites, have developed and implemented a planning model for safety net clinics in response to the changes anticipated with health care reform. He has also conducted feasibility studies for capital growth and program expansions, strategic planning, board development, executive coaching, crisis management, quality assurance and risk management policy for safety net clinics and other not for profit organizations. Prior to that time he served five years as a consultant with the Triton Group, a national firm serving FQHCs and Free Clinics, providing assistance on the Federal Tort Claims Act. During his tenure he authored the seminal report to Congress on free clinics and attained national stature as an expert on issues related to the FTCA program. Marty served 20 years as the Executive Director of The Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland, a large, urban multi-service free clinic. During his tenure the free clinic evolved from a small acute, episodic care clinic, to a full service medical, dental and mental health facility, tripling in size and complexity, initiating many innovative programs while achieving stature as a model for free clinics nationally. Marty began his career as a Teaching Fellow at Miami University. Marty holds multiple degrees and certifications, including a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Case Western Reserve University, a Master of Science in Counseling plus 45 additional doctoral credit hours in Advanced Counseling and Administration from Miami University, and a Bachelor of Arts in History with a teaching certificate from St. Bonaventure University. Mr. Hiller has many affiliations. He is a member of Leadership Cleveland, Class of 1993. He was a catalyst in the creation of the Ohio Free Clinic Association. He was a founding Board member of the National Free Clinic Association, where he served as its first President. He currently serves on a number of Boards and Advisory Committees and has authored a number of recent works on health related topics.
 
Isi Ikharebha
Executive Director
Physicians CareConnection
Isi Ikharebha is the Executive Director of the Physicians CareConnection which is an affiliate of the Columbus Medical Association. She has been with the organization since 2009. She came to the Physicians CareConnection from Access HealthColumbus. Her primary responsibility is leading the effort to coordinate the charitable health care services of the doctors and hospitals in the Central Ohio community and reporting the value of the network to the community, through outcomes measurements and evaluation. Ikharebha earned a graduate degree in Public Health.
 
Thomas Kern
Associate
Benesch

Thomas Kern is an associate in the firm's Litigation, Transportation & Logistics, and Not-for-Profit Practice Groups.  His litigation experience is diverse and has practiced in various federal and state courts, as well as before administrative bodies. 

Kern practices in the areas of commercial litigation; transportation and logistics, including cargo, casualty and freight charge litigation; the long-term care industry; and defending companies against consumer-related claims involving advertising and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and Consumer Sales Practices Acts.

In addition, Thomas advocates on behalf of several not-for-profit entities, including, representing not-for-profit entities in charitable trust disputes and other probate matters.

 
Susan Labuda Schrop, MS
Vice Chair for Administration and Community Outreach
Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)
Susan Labuda Schrop, M.S., is Vice Chair for Administration and Community Outreach at the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). Her specialty areas include medical sociology, literacy, health disparities and underserved populations. She is completing her Ph.D in medical sociology at Kent State University. Her grants and peer-reviewed publications have focused on faculty development, medical education, underserved populations, health literacy and patient-physician communication.
 
Brian F. Pendleton, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
The University of Akron
Brian Pendleton, Ph.D is Professor of Sociology at The University of Akron and Research Professor of Sociology in Family Medicine at NEOMED. His specialty areas are medical sociology, epidemiology, literacy, quantitative methodology, and the sociology of children. He was one of the original creators of the Decker Family Development Center in Barberton, OH and served 15 years there as co-manager and director of research and evaluation. He also has served local, state and national programs as an evaluator for drug and alcohol prevention, and literacy programs.
 
Meredith Rosenbeck
Attorney
Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff, LLP
Meredith Rosenbeck is an attorney with the law firm of Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff, LLP, in Columbus, Ohio. Meredith focuses her practice on serving the various needs of not-for-profit clients. Much of her practice involves tax and corporate planning for not-for-profit organizations, including public charities, private foundations and health care organizations.  Meredith assists clients in the formation of not-for-profit entities, qualifying for state and federal tax exemptions, corporate reorganizations and acquisitions, best practices in corporate governance and tax compliance matters, among others.

 
Mike Sevilla, MD
Family Medicine Rocks
Mike Sevilla, MD is a Family Physician who was born and raised in Northeastern Ohio. He has been involved in social media since 2005 and is founder of the website and podcast “Family Medicine Rocks” where he talks about medicine and social media related topics. Dr. Sevilla is a national speaker in social media and medicine including presentations at the American Academy of Family Physicians Annual Scientific Assembly, Mayo Clinic Social Media Summit, and the Connecting HealthCare & Social Media Conference in New York City. Dr. Sevilla has also been identified as one of “11 Faces To Know In Healthcare Social Media” by FierceHealthHIT.com, one of “10 Physicians To Follow On Twitter” by HealthCareITNews.com, and one of five “Doctors Changing The Landscape Social Media” by TurnUpYourVolume.com. In addition, Dr. Sevilla has been featured in Medical Economics article “Getting Patients to ‘Like’ Your Practice.’” Dr. Sevilla also does frequent television interviews on health topics at WKBN-TV in Youngstown. He obtained his undergraduate degree at Youngstown State University and his medical degree at the Northeast Ohio University Medical University. He works with four other Family Physicians & a Nurse Practitioner at the Family Practice Center of Salem and is associated with Salem Community Hospital. Dr. Sevilla is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University.
 
Sharon Sherlock
Executive Director
Reach Out of Montgomery County

Sharon Sherlock, R.N., B.S.N., M.S.A., D.H.A., is the executive director of Reach Out of Montgomery County, Dayton, Ohio. She is also an assistant professor in Community Health at Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University at which she teaches service learning to the medical students, community health to family medicine residents, serves as a classroom lecturer and research chair for the Masters of Public Health program, is a clinical preceptor for in the nurse education program, as well as clinical advisor for other medical professional students such as Pharmacy D and Nurse Practitioner candidates.  Her career spans, from critical care nursing, to managed care organizations director, human resources director, and for the last 12 years executive director of Reach Out of Montgomery County, a nonprofit organizing serving the medically uninsured in Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio.  Sherlock has spoken national on cultural disparities and recently went to Washington DC to speak to the financial committee on healthcare reform.  She has assisted in the development of three Muslim Free Clinics of Ohio located in Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati and is an active member on the American Asian Council for Ohio. Sherlock is a strong advocate for the underserved and a Rotarian for the community.

 
Cathy Smathers, RN
Nurse Director
Townhall II
Cathy Smathers, RN, has been the nursing director at Townhall II for nearly 20 years and directly managed the Lifestyle ABC’s program.