Fall 2024 Community Conference - Together We Can: Collaborate, Coproduce, Catalyze

We are excited to be hosting our Fall 2024 Community Conference in Baltimore, Maryland from September 25 to September 27. We look forward to engaging with healthcare providers, patients, parents/caregivers, researchers and improvers from across ImproveCareNow to all teach and all learn, to share and develop new and innovative approaches to improve pediatric IBD care and outcomes, to further our research, and to build our community. Download our draft agenda to check out topics and sessions for this event ⬇⬇

Learner Objectives for our Fall 2024 Community Conference include

• Collaboratively apply best practices demonstrated through ImproveCareNow quality improvement, research, clinical practice, and community engagement skills. 
• Develop connections and relationships with clinicians, patients, parents, and trusted partners to work together in new ways to benefit the IBD community. 
• Examine how your work contributes to the advancement of the ICN strategic priorities focused on outcomes, health equity, leadership & sustainability, engagement & community building, technology, and research & innovation. 
• Discuss techniques to address and close health equity gaps.

Patients and caregivers are valued partners in our conferences

We are thrilled that patients and parents/caregivers continue to be co-designers and active contributors to our ICN Community Conferences. Here is a listing of #ICNCC24F sessions & events they are directly involved in:

💚 Ignite Talks 🔥 by Leela (patient) and Victoria (caregiver)

💙 ICN Engagement Fair

💚 ICN Community Co-Production of an IBD and AILD (Autoimmune Liver Disease) Caregiver Coping Toolkit

💙 Understanding Medical Traumatic Stress: Perspectives from Patients, Providers and Parents

💚 PAC and PFAC Role-specific breakout sessions

💙 IBD RISE (Resilience, Information, Support and Empowerment): Lessons from a Patient-Led Peer Support Intervention for Youth with IBD (Engagement & Community Building Plenary)

💚 All Teach, All Learn: Planning for Equitable Patient Engagement

Joining the Community Conference conversation

As we approach the conference, consider what topics you're most excited to learn more about and think about the insights you want to discuss and share with others in the IBD community. We encourage you to follow @improvecarenow and @icnpatients online to take part in the conversation no matter where you are!

Our Fall 2024 Community Conference hashtag - #ICNCC24F - was created via Symplur and the Healthcare Hashtag Project, which is aimed at connecting the dots in healthcare social media. By including #ICNCC24F in posts about the conference we can generate and share learning and ideas, make connections with our colleagues and community, and spread awareness of ImproveCareNow and IBD.

Join us for another ICN event

If you cannot be with us in Baltimore this September, be sure to mark your calendar and plan to join us for another upcoming ICN event:

📅 December 4, 2024 - 2024 ImproveCareNow Open House (event link coming soon!) * ImproveCareNow Open House is the new name for the Virtual Community Conference we have hosted since 2017. It is a free 90-minute webinar that is open to everyone and is a great opportunity to learn more about ICN

📅 April 24, 2025 - Spring 2025 Live Online Community Conference * this is a one-day virtual community conference event

📅 September 17-19, 2025 - Fall 2025 Community Conference in Orlando, FL * this is a multi-day in-person community conference event

ImproveCareNow is made up of more than 100 care centers and has a presence on three continents, with 90% of the highest ranked pediatric gastroenterology programs in the U.S., including many U.S. News and World Reports 2023/2024 Honor Roll Children’s Hospitals as members. With 950 pediatric gastroenterologists and 30,000 IBD patients, ImproveCareNow reaches approximately 55% of IBD patients in the U.S. cared for by pediatric gastroenterologists. ImproveCareNow Community Conferences present the ideal opportunity to engage with these committed healthcare providers, patients and parents, and to learn about recent results in our research and improvement efforts.

📌 ICN Executive Leadership and key network members have identified six critical areas of focus for FY25-28: Outcomes; Health Equity; Leadership & Sustainability; Engagement & Community Building; Technology; Research & Innovation. Learn more about ImproveCareNow's FY25-28 Strategic Plan

⏰ Take Action! No effort is too small, because everything we do in ImproveCareNow is magnified by the efforts of thousands of other improvers! Here are some ways to find & give help:

💚 Young patients (14+) with IBD can join the Patient Advisory Council 

💙 Caregivers of young people with IBD can join the Parent/Family Advisory Council

💚 Eligible individuals can participate in Current Research Opportunities

💙 Anyone can support ImproveCareNow with a tax-deductible general donation or donation to the Richard B. Colletti Family Fund

💚 Anyone can sign up for blog updates and stay #InTheLOOP with our IBD stories

💙 Anyone can download, use & share our free, co-produced IBD resources

💚 Anyone can connect with our welcoming & supportive community and receive IBD resources, community stories, and ICN updates & opportunities by joining our CIRCLE