Conference Brochure - Indiana Rural Health Association

French Lick Springs
Resort and
Conference Center
8670 West State Road 56
French Lick, IN 47432
“Rural Health:
Align, Connect, Engage”
Conference Brochure Index
Conference Description, Objectives, and Targeted Audience
2
About IRHA
2
Special Activities
3
2016 IRHA Annual Conference Agenda at a Glance
4
2016 IRHA Conference Program and Keynote and Plenary Speakers
5-10
Luncheon Emcee and Conference Public Relations and Activities
11
Registration and Hotel
12
Hotel History
13
Conference Description
IRHA’s Annual Conference brings together physicians, nurses,
pharmacists, public health professionals, and other rural health
practitioners and advocates with residents of rural communities.
Practitioners from the field and national experts discuss current
topics, as well as share the experiences of others in public health
and rural health care delivery, along with the latest information
regarding the start-up and on-going management of rural health care
delivery models.
Conference Objectives
At the conclusion of the Conference, participants should be able to:
∗ Recognize the national efforts to support population health and
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healthcare reform in rural communities;
Examine unique rural health policy challenges related to finance
and quality measurement and resource allocation;
Recognize strategies that providers can implement to position
themselves in value-driven healthcare;
Recognize the need to integrate primary care and behavioral
health;
Recognize the role of public health and its importance in rural
medicine;
Recognize what goes on inside our brains when we harness the
power of humor;
Recognize the need for school-based outreach in a rural
community and how it can advance the mission of organizations;
Recognize the resources and next steps needed to build a
telehealth program;
Recognize ways to increase access to diabetes or pre-diabetes
education in medically underserved or rural areas;
Recognize the need for a written plan for workplace violence;
Overcome the challenge of the EHR to keep the record compliant;
Learn how regulatory changes impact revenue cycle management.
About IRHA
The Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) is a not-for-profit
organization representing a diverse statewide membership
consisting of individuals and organizations committed to the
improvement of health and resources for rural Hoosiers. IRHA
seeks to provide a meaningful forum for assessing the strengths
and weaknesses of the health and safety of rural communities in
Indiana. IRHA seeks to provide educational programs that focus on
the unique needs of the residents of rural Indiana and the providers
who serve them. IRHA also works to educate the public on relevant
issues and focus unified efforts to bring about the necessary
changes in public and private policies to ensure that all rural
Hoosiers have access to quality health care in their own
communities. More information about the IRHA can be accessed
through www.indianaruralhealth.org.
Targeted Audience
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Administrators
Case Managers
Certified Professionals in Healthcare Quality
Clinical Managers
Dentists and Dental Hygienists
Discharge Planners
Health Professions’ Students
Hospital Board of Directors’ Members
Information Technology Staff
Mental Health Professionals
Nurses and Nurse Practitioners
Pharmacists
Physicians and Physician Assistants
Medical Assistants
Public Health Professionals
Quality Improvement Professionals
Social Workers
Community Health Workers/Health Coaches
Utilization Reviewers
Rural Health Clinic Coders and Billing Staff
Rural EMS
First Responders
Other Healthcare Providers from Hospitals and Rural Clinics
Workforce Recruiters, Veterans, and Consumers
Educational Grants
This educational activity is funded in part by the Indiana State
Department of Health/State Office of Rural Health federal grant
#H95RH00136.
Administrators
The Indiana State Board of Health Facility Administrators (IHFA)
has approved IRHA as a sponsor of continuing education
programs for health facility administrators. IRHA’s license number
is 98000258A.
In Collaboration with HFMA of Indiana
Management Sessions Co-Sponsored by Indiana
Healthcare Executives Network—Sessions with IHEN
logo have been preapproved for ACHE Qualified Education
CEUs (10.75 hours total). Members should self-report
CEUs at ACHE.org.
Coders
AAPC has approved IRHA as a sponsor of CEUs for
coders.
This activity is supported by a contribution from Lilly.
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Monday, June 20, 2016
Rural Network Allied Health Training Program Informational Meeting—
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (invitation only) Roosevelt Room
Golf Beginning at Noon—18-hole best-ball tournament at the Donald Ross Course
Contact Tina Elliott at telliott@indianarha.org if interested in participating.
Blood Drive by American Red Cross—10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Taggart 100 (for early arrivals and French Lick employees)
Welcome/Networking Reception—5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Hoosier Foyer/Event Center 2nd Floor
Sponsored by:
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Zumba—6:15 to 7:00 a.m. (sponsored by IHIE)
Habig Room
Silent Auction—8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Hoosier Ballroom (Exhibit Hall)
Blood Drive by American Red Cross—10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Taggart 100
Student Session/Networking Opportunity/Pizza Night—6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Windsor Ballroom
Yoga– 6:30 p.m.
Habig Room
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
5K Fitness Walk/Run—6:00 a.m. (sponsored by IHIE)
Meet in front of Event Center
3
2016 IRHA Annual Conference Agenda at a Glance
Monday, June 20, 2016
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Welcome/Networking Reception
Sponsored by BPN Premier Members
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
7:00-8:00 a.m.
Breakfast/Exhibitor Networking
.
8:00-9:30 a.m.
Plenary Sessions (2 options)
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
8:00-9:00 a.m.
Registration/Breakfast/Exhibitor Networking/
Silent Auction
9:00-9:15 a.m.
Welcome/Call to Order/Introduction of
Board Candidates and Health Professional
Students and their Underwriters
9:15-10:15 a.m.
Keynote Address
“Rural Health: Align, Connect, and Engage with the
Federal Office of Rural Health Policy”
Tom Morris, MPA
Associate Administrator for Rural Health Policy
HRSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
10:25-11:10 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions I
11:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions II
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Lunch and Exhibitor Networking
1:00—2:45 p.m.
Keynote Address
“Humor for the Health of It: Physiology, Psychology,
and Brain Function”
Joel Weintraub, MEd, BS
“Humorous Educator”
3:00 - 3:45 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions III
3:45-5:00 p.m.
Reception in Exhibit Hall hosted by Exhibitors
Plenary #1
“Transition from Fee-for-Service Reimbursement
to Population Health Management
and Value-Based Purchasing”
Paul MacLellan, CEO
Medical Advantage Group
Plenary #2
“Managing HIV Outbreak
and Prescription Drug Abuse”
Panel Discussion:
Jennifer Walthall, MD, MPH
Randy Stevens, MD
James Turner, DO
Eric Davis, PhD, LCSW, LCAC
Brian Carrico
9:30-10:00 a.m.
Exhibitor Networking
10:00-10:45 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions IV
11:00-11:45 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions V
12:00 p.m.
Awards Luncheon
1:15-2:15 p.m.
Keynote Address
“The Patient Experience: Disabled Farmers Farm—
Overcoming Adversity”
Ed Bell
Bell’s Strawberry Farm
2:15 p.m.
Adjournment
5:00-6:00 p.m.
General Membership Meeting and Door Prize Drawings
Silent Auction bidding closes at 5:00 p.m.
Fund Raising Feature:
Silent Auction to benefit
health professional
students’ scholarships
June 21, 2016
Location: Hoosier Ballroom
IRHA Blood Drive
by American Red Cross
Two Days!!!
June 20 and 21, 2016
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Taggart 100
Give the gift of life!
You’ll have someone’s undying gratitude.
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Indiana Rural Health Association
2016Annual Conference
June 21 and 22, 2016
Monday, June 20, 2016
5
The Challenge of Evaluation and Management
Coding, Part 1
Ann Silvia, BS, CPC, CPMA, CPPM, CPC-I, CPB,
CANPC, CEMC, CFPC
Connie Brown, CPC, CPB, CPMA, CPPM, CEMC
(Nixon 205)
6
Ensuring a Positive Patient Experience in the
Revenue Cycle
Brian Garver
(Ford 207)
7
Bizarre and Unusual Case Studies: You Can’t
Make This Stuff Up!
Andrea Zickmund, NREMT-P/FF
(Reagan 209)
Welcome/Networking Reception
Sponsored by BPN Premier Members
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
8:00-9:00 a.m.
Registration/Breakfast/Exhibitor Networking/
Silent Auction
9:00-9:15 a.m.
(Windsor Ballroom)
Welcome/Call to Order/Introduction of
Board Candidates and Health Professional
Students and their Underwriters
10:25-11:25 a.m.
9:15-10:15 a.m.
(Windsor Ballroom)
“Rural Health: Align, Connect, and Engage with the
Federal Office of Rural Health Policy”
Tom Morris, MPA
Associate Administrator for Rural Health Policy
HRSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
8
10:25-11:10 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions I
1
2
3
4
Case Study: Evaluating and Managing the
Effective Use of Infusion Pump Drug Libraries
AND Standardizing IV Concentrations in the
State of Indiana
Andy Aldred, PharmD, MBA
Rich Zink, MBA
Dan Degnan, PharmD, MS, CPPS
(Truman 201)
Using Health Information Exchange to Enable
Interoperability of Behavioral Health Data
Waldo Mikels-Carrasco, MA
(Roosevelt 202)
A Replacement Critical Access Hospital for
Angola, Indiana: The Operational and
Statistical Impact
Ronald Menze, AIA, ACHA, EDAC
Connie McCahill, RN, MSA
(Kennedy 203)
Telehealth Delivery from the Providers’
Perspective: Results from a Multi-Site
Indiana Critical Access Hospital Study
Stephanie Laws, MS, RN
Roseanne Fairchild, PhD, RN, CNE, NE-BC
Shiaw-Fen Ferng, PhD, MPH
(Eisenhower 204)
Improving Patient Outcomes in Diabetes by
Working with Diabetes Educators, by
Accessing Diabetes Self-Management
Education (DSME), and by Involving the
Community Pharmacist
Brenda Jagatic, BScN, RN, Certified Diabetes
Educator
Lynn Fletcher, PharmD, Board CertifiedAdvanced Diabetes Management
(Johnson 206)
11:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions II
1
The Importance of Local Care Coordination
and Impact on Patient Outcomes
Keith Rye, MBA
Cody Mullen, PhD(c)
(Truman 201)
2
Connecting Kids to Health Insurance
Coverage through School-Based Outreach
Doris Higgins, MPA
Norma Napoli, RN, MSN
Susan Jo Thomas, JD/LCSW
(Roosevelt 202)
3
What Makes Rural Health Precepting
Successful? Two Decades of Lessons from
the Field
Joseph Biggs, PhD
Trish Devine, PharmD
Charles Henley, DO, MS, MPH, FACOFP
(Kennedy 203)
5
4
Engaging Physicians to Offer Direct-toConsumer Virtual Visits: Insights from Reid
Health
Daniel Wegg, MD
(Eisenhower 204)
4
Building a Sustainable Telepsychiatry
Program Without Grant Money
Samir Malik
Gregor Hoffman
(Eisenhower 204)
Top 20 Coding and Documentation Tips for
2016
Sharon Shover, CPC, CEMC
Krista Schroering, BSOM, MFA, CHA, ICDCT-CM/
PCS, CPC-A
(Nixon 205)
5
The Challenge of Evaluation and Management
Coding, Part 2
Ann Silvia, BS, CPC, CPMA, CPPM, CPC-I, CPB,
CANPC, CEMC, CFPC
Connie Brown, CPC, CPB, CPMA, CPPM, CEMC
(Nixon 205)
5
6
Facility Condition Assessment and Energy
Management
Chris Smith
(Ford 207)
6
7
Workplace Violence/Active Shooter
Preparedness
Jay Dotson
(Reagan 209)
7
Facility Auditing/Conservation of Capital
Resources
Richard Moake, BA
(Ford 207)
Crash Test Dummies and Football
Players
Andrea Zickmund, NREMT-P/FF
(Reagan 209)
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Lunch and
Exhibitor Networking
1:00-2:45 p.m.
(Windsor Ballroom)
Keynote Address
“Humor for the Health of It: Physiology,
Psychology, and Brain Function”
Joel Weintraub, MEd, BS
3:00-3:45 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions III
1
A Case Study of Therapeutic Hypothermia in
A Rural Midwestern Hospital
Jan Weust, DNP, RN
Annette Smith, MS, RN, AGCNS-BC
(Truman 201)
2
Recovery Support Technologies: Pioneering
New Models of Substance Abuse Recovery
David Whitesock, JD
(Roosevelt 202)
3
Healthcare Interoperability in the Rural
Setting
Charles Christian, FCHIME, LCHIME, FHIMSS,
CHCIO
(Kennedy 203)
3:00-4:00 p.m.
8
Cyber Security and Compliance for Hospital
Administrators
Jason Bernstein, Esq.
Nicholas Lizanich, MBA, BME
Mike Childs
(Johnson 206)
3:45-5:00 p.m.
(Hoosier Ballroom)
Reception in Exhibit Hall hosted by Exhibitors
5:00-6:00 p.m.
(Hoosier Ballroom)
General Membership Meeting and Door Prize Drawings
Silent Auction bidding closes at 5:00 p.m.
6
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
9:30-10:00 a.m.
Exhibitor Networking
7:00-8:00 a.m.
Breakfast/Exhibitor Networking
8:00-9:30 a.m.
(Windsor Ballroom)
9:45-10:45 a.m.
Plenary Sessions (2 options)
Plenary #1
“Transition from Fee-for-Service Reimbursement
to Population Health Management
and Value-Based Purchasing”
Paul MacLellan
CEO
Medical Advantage Group
Plenary #2
“Managing HIV Outbreak
and Prescription Drug Abuse”
Panel Discussion:
Jennifer Walthall, MD, MPH
Deputy State Health Commissioner, ISDH
Director for Health Outcomes
Randy Stevens, MD
Family Practice Physician
and Addiction Medicine Specialist
Union Hospital Family Practice
1
10:00-10:45 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions IV
2
Little Tykes are Not Little Adults!
Andrea Zickmund, NREMT-P/FF
(Truman 201)
3
Rural Food Insecurity: Challenges and
Opportunities
Margaret Weigel, PhD
(Roosevelt 202)
4
Disaster Recovery Challenges in the
Healthcare Marketplace
Pat Spencer
Jeff Ton
Mark Caswell
August Zehner, MBA
(Kennedy 203)
5
Elevating the Standard of Patient Care in
Rural Hospitals
Tim Larson, PharmD
Vinny Polito, PharmD, MHA
(Eisenhower 204)
6
Provider-Based RHC Requirements
Charles James, MBA
(Nixon 205)
7
Crash Course: Merit-Based Incentive
Payment System (MIPS)
Natalie Stewart, MBA
(Ford 207)
8
The State of Mobile Integrated Health Care
and Community Paramedicine in Indiana
Cody Mullen, PhD(c)
Robert Owegi, DNP, RN, CMSRN, CNE
Robert Eberhardt
(Reagan 209)
James Turner, DO
Medical Director
Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health
Eric Davis, PhD, LCSW, LCAC
Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director
Life Recovery Center
Managing Drug Diversion and Policy
Development
Rodrigo Garcia, CRNA, MSN, MBA
(Johnson 206)
Brian Carrico
Senior Vice President of Sales and Distribution
Innovative Health Solutions
7
10:45-11:45 a.m.
1
Chronic Care Management and Health Coaching
Model
Cody Mullen, PhD(c)
(Johnson 206)
11:00-11:45 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions V
12:00 p.m.
Awards Luncheon
1:15-2:15 p.m.
(Windsor Ballroom)
Keynote Address
“The Patient Experience: Disabled Farmers Farm—
Overcoming Adversity”
Ed Bell
Bell’s Strawberry Farm
2:15 p.m.
Adjournment
2
Patient Safety Organizations: How Can They
Help Critical Access Hospitals?
Rich Zink, MBA
Dan Degnan, PharmD, MS, CPPS
(Truman 201)
3
Geography Matters: Exploratory Analysis of
Rural Indiana Local Health Department
Maternal and Child Health Partnerships
Priscilla Barnes, MPH, PhD, MCHES
(Roosevelt 202)
4
Implementing and Expanding Telehealth
through a University Partnership
Debi Sampsel, DNP, MSN, BA, RN
Megan Ulrich, BA
(Eisenhower 204)
5
Access to Primary Care in Rural Indiana:
Opportunities and Challenges
Philip Morphew, MS
TJ Warren, MBA
Elaine Williams, BA
(Nixon 205)
6
The Role Technology Plays in Running Your
Organization: A Layman’s Guide for Today’s
Healthcare Leaders
Steve Parker
(Ford 207)
7
Healthy Weight Initiative—Obesity
Intersections of Healthcare for Connecting,
Engaging, and Aligning
Georg’ann Cattelona, PhD, LCCE, CD(DONA)
David Creel, PhD, RD, CDE
Lisa Greathouse, MS
Kim Irwin, MPH
Eric Beers
(Reagan 209)
8
Featured Keynote and Plenary Speakers
Ed Bell
is
a farmer
from
Hagerstown, IN (Wayne County). For
the last two decades, he has been
married to his wife Debbie who is a
part-time R.N. They have a teenaged
daughter named Nellie. Bell grew up
on the family farm and has been
farming since he graduated from
Purdue University's AG. Short Course
in 1981. He has raised grain, livestock,
and truck crops on his 72-acre family
farm. Presently, he grows black raspberries, asparagus,
black berries, and several acres of strawberries. He and
his family were named the 2006 Indiana Farm Family of
the Year.
Tom Morris, MPA, is HRSA's
Associate Administrator for Rural
Health Policy. In that role, he
oversees the administrative and
policy activities of the Federal
Office of Rural Health (FORHP).
Bell is a gifted communicator, a powerful motivator, a
born leader, and a true overcomer. He has had
personal experience dealing with disability and
hardships. In 1982 at age 21, he survived a violent
criminal attack and sustained a gunshot wound which
left him permanently paralyzed. Adversity has not been
a stranger to him. Adversity has continued to be a
regular visitor to the Bell family, including a fire that
burned their old log home in 1995. He has endured fiery
trials of life that could have left him broken, but instead
have made him stronger.
Morris coordinates FORHP's response to policy
issues, especially the impact of Medicare and
Medicaid regulations on the rural health workforce
and service delivery. As office director, he is
responsible for 16 grant programs that focus on
building rural health care capacity at the state and
community level.
Bell embodies the American Dream through his
perseverance, endurance and service to others. In
addition to farming and speaking, he has served over
ten years as a consultant for Purdue University's
Breaking New Ground Project, which assists farmers
and rural people with disabilities across the country. In
the fall of 2000, he accepted a temporary position as
the Executive Director for the newly founded
Independent Living Center of Eastern Indiana. In just
two short years, Bell took this not-for-profit organization
from $120 to an annual operating budget of over threequarters of a million dollars. Today, the Center helps
people with disabilities throughout seven east central
Indiana counties. In the spring of 2003, Bell became an
Account Executive for the Standing Wheelchair
Company, which is North America’s only manufacturer
of a manual standing wheelchair. Today, he continues
to share his leadership skills by volunteering both in his
church and as a gubernatorial appointee to the Indiana
Governor’s Planning Council for People with
Disabilities.
HRSA works to fill in the health
care gaps for people who live
outside the economic and
medical mainstream. The agency
uses its annual budget to expand access to quality
health care through an array of grants to state and
local governments, health care providers and health
professions training programs.
Morris came to the federal government in 1996 as a
Presidential Management Intern, which led to details
on a Federal Intra-Agency Telemedicine Committee,
in the U.S. Senate, and at the Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services. Morris joined FORHP full
time in 1998 and has worked in several capacities
there, including his prior position as deputy director,
and as policy coordinator and grants project officer.
Prior to joining the government, he was a reporter
and editor covering health care and other issues at
two daily newspapers in North Carolina.
Morris received his bachelor's degree in journalism
from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and a master's in public administration with a
concentration in community health from East
Carolina University.
Regardless the venue, Bell will always be a farmer at
heart. Despite life’s hardships, he continues to till the
soil and cultivate the hearts of people with his gift of
communication. He is available to share his insights, his
humor, his optimism and his overcoming spirit through
his presentations and public speaking to groups across
the nation.
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Featured Keynote and Plenary Speakers
Joel Weintraub, MEd, BS, is a “humorous educator” who has managed to merge the
formerly disparate worlds of comedy and education. By combining his professional
comedy experience with his master’s degree in Physiology and bachelor’s in Health
Education from Temple University, he has entertained and educated diverse
audiences, such as accountants, attorneys, church groups, higher education faculty
and staff, physicians, synagogues, and even burglar alarm installers. From the “World
Bank” to Dangerfield’s Comedy Club to major radio stations, the local news and the
Food Channel … they have all laughed and learned with “Humor for the Health of it.”
“Transition from Fee-for-Service Reimbursement
to Population Health Management
and Value-Based Purchasing”
Paul MacLellan
CEO
Medical Advantage Group
“Managing HIV Outbreak
and Prescription Drug Abuse”
Panel Discussion:
Jennifer Walthall, MD, MPH
Deputy State Health Commissioner, ISDH
Director for Health Outcomes
Randy Stevens, MD
Family Practice Physician
and Addiction Medicine Specialist
Union Hospital Family Practice
James Turner, DO
Medical Director
Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health
Eric Davis, PhD, LCSW, LCAC
Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director
Life Recovery Center
Brian Carrico
Senior Vice President of Sales and Distribution
Innovative Health Solutions
10
Awards Luncheon Emcee and Conference Public Relations
Mike King— Born in Virginia and raised in North Carolina, Mike King has
called Indiana home since January of 1986, when he became the
sports anchor at WTHI-TV (CBS) in Terre Haute.
He has worked as a journalist and professional broadcaster for 35 years,
taking his first full-time job in the field in the late '70's as the sports editor of
The Daily Record in Dunn, North Carolina, while still attending Campbell
University. In the years that would follow, King would serve as sports anchor at
a pair of North Carolina television stations, WNCT-TV (CBS) and WCTI-TV
(ABC), before making the move to Indiana.
King joined the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network in 1994 as a pit
reporter for Indianapolis 500 broadcasts and five years later was named the chief announcer for the network. He held
the position of Radio Voice of the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series for 15 years before retiring from the position at
the end of the 2013 season. King became the only announcer in history to call action from the pits and all 4 turn
positions during radio broadcasts at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while also serving as network anchor. He was
fortunate enough to work on 232 IndyCar Series broadcasts, 12 Brickyard 400s, 6 United States GP Formula One races,
and 4 MotoGP events.
In 2011, King took his media/broadcast skills to the Union Hospital Health Group in Terre Haute, Indiana, joining the
Public Relations and Marketing Department as a media marketing specialist. He developed and produces Radio
Union Today, a daily two-minute feature that is presented by Union Hospital and heard 52 weeks a year in the
Wabash Valley on 98.5 WIBQ, B102.7, 104.9 WAXI and 100.7 MIX-FM. Five different features each week highlight
medical professionals, community events and technology updates. Additionally, Mike is responsible for producing
Union Hospital's radio and television marketing and public service announcement messaging to the community, while
coordinating health fairs and special events.
King was lucky enough to meet the love of his life in Terre Haute and has been married to Nicole Brattain for 25
years. Together, they have 3 great children: Tyler (22), a senior at Indiana State; Madison (19), a sophomore
majoring in art at Ball State; and Abigail (17), who will be a senior at Terre Haute South. The family Golden Retriever,
Hoosier, considers himself a 4th King child.
French Lick has lots of activities for the entire family:
Tennis
Biking
Golf
Stables
Indoor Pool
Carriage Rides
Outdoor Pool
FootGolf
Basketball
Power Walks
Bowling and Arcade
Area Attractions
Historical Tours
Hiking
Shopping
Trolley
Bring the family!
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Conference Fee and Hotel Information
Conference Fee
A Conference fee of $300 for both days or $225 for one day includes Conference
materials, break refreshments, group meals, reception, and a one-year IRHA
membership.
Student Conference scholarship information and online registration are available
at www.indianaruralhealth.org.
French Lick Springs Resort and Conference Center
Individuals will be responsible for their own reservations.
French Lick Springs Hotel
8670 West State Road 56
French Lick, IN 47432
A discounted group rate is being offered until May 22, 2016, (midnight) for $135 per night.
Reservations can be made 2 ways:
1. Call the resort directly 1-888-936-9360 and use the group code 0616IRH. You must identify yourself as
being with the Indiana Rural Health Association at the time the reservation is made in order to receive the
special group rate.
2.
On the website www.frenchlick.com using the group code 0616IRH.
12
Hotel History
For nearly 170 years, there has been a lodging establishment operating at the current site of French Lick Springs
Hotel. It all began in 1845, when Dr. William Bowles, a physician from Paoli, Indiana, opened the first French Lick
Springs Hotel. Bowles used his knowledge as a physician to explore the healing properties of the abundant
mineral springs in this area of the country.
Bowles’ enterprise was prosperous and continued to thrive under various owners. In 1901, the outgoing mayor of
Indianapolis, Tom Taggart, along with a small group of investors, formed the French Lick Hotel Company and
bought the property. It was under Tom Taggart's imaginative direction that French Lick Springs Hotel made great
strides in décor, development, and transportation. He enlarged the east wing, now known as the Spa Wing, using
the yellow "French Lick Brick," scagliola (faux marble) and Italian mosaic floors. He also encouraged the Monon
Railroad to lay a special spur and run daily trains between Chicago and the front entrance of the hotel.
Taggart modernized and expanded the mineral springs for which the hotel was becoming famous. He built
pavilions to shelter them and added a new bath building on the current site of the Spa at French Lick Springs
Hotel. He brought electricity, a fresh water system, and a trolley line to the town. He built a new bottling house to
bottle water from his Pluto Spring for national distribution.
While French Lick Springs Hotel was expanding, the game of golf was gaining popularity the world over. In 1907,
Taggart hired Tom Bendelow to design the hotel’s first championship golf course, known at the time as "The
Valley Course." Just ten years later, Taggart commissioned Donald Ross & Associates to design and build "The
Hill Course."
Also in 1917, the world famous chef Louis Perrin first served tomato juice. As luck would have it one morning, he
was out of oranges and could not serve the traditional orange juice. Needing to serve some sort of juice at
breakfast, Chef Perrin squeezed tomatoes; and the rest is history. With Taggart serving as the chairman of the
Democratic National Committee, French Lick Springs Hotel developed a reputation as the unofficial headquarters
of the Democratic Party. In 1931, Franklin D. Roosevelt rounded up support at a Democratic Governor's
Conference, being held at French Lick Springs Hotel, for the party's presidential nomination.
In 1946, Thomas Taggart, Junior, sold French Lick Springs Hotel. Over the next nearly 60 years, French Lick
Springs Hotel was owned by five companies operating out of five different states, none of which was Indiana. In
2005, French Lick Springs Hotel was purchased by COOK Group, Inc., a global medical device manufacturing
company, headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, The COOK Group stepped in to preserve both French Lick
Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel. Under the direction of Bill, Gayle, and their son, Carl Cook, both
hotels and their grounds received a multi-million dollar renovation returning them to the grandeur of the days of
Taggart and uniting them as one resort. In 2006, French Lick Springs Hotel reopened after an extensive
renovation and new addition, French Lick Casino. The original 1917 “Hill Course” was reopened and restored as
The Donald Ross Course. With the completion of the West Baden Springs Hotel restoration in 2007, French Lick
Resort was born.
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