2025 HR Conference

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Registration and Check-in 

12:30 – 12:45 p.m. | Welcome and Opening Remarks 
Erika Frank, Vice President Policy and Legal Counsel, California Hospital Association 

12:45 – 1:45 p.m. | General Session | Recruitment and Retention: Strategies for Getting and Keeping the Good Ones 
Shalena Desmond, PHR, SHRM-CP, Owner and Chief Advisor, Essential HR Advising; Kristy Kelly, Senior Vice President People Strategy & Organization Effectiveness, CommonSpirit 
Identifying and retaining top talent in the health care industry is a long-term challenge that became amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a shortage of qualified talent compounded by high turnover rates, employee leaves of absence due to burnout and other medical reasons, and a general feeling that a balanced work-life experience is unattainable in the health care industry. 

Learn strategies you can implement to not only attract top talent but also retain the talent upon hire. Empower yourself with the ability to “think out of the box” and adopt initiatives your employees and leadership teams will embrace. 

1:45 – 2:45 p.m. | General Session | Tips to Effectively Manage Reasonable Accommodations 
Baily Bifoss, J.D., Employment Litigation Partner, Seyfarth Shaw; Karla Torris, Supervisor, Leave Management and Alia Porinsh, Manager Employee Relations & Reasonable Accommodations, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital 
Responding to reasonable accommodation requests involve an understanding of state and federal legal requirements, state staffing ratio requirements, coordination with effected units and departments as well as employee engagement. Managing this area of human resources often feels like a juggling act with fire torches – drop one and you may get burned.   

Refresh yourself on the legal requirements and recent court decisions concerning reasonable accommodation requests as well as strategies and best practices you can adopt to make the juggling act feel less daunting. 

2:45 – 3:15 p.m. | Break and Sponsor Visit 

3:15 – 4:15 p.m. | General Session – State of the Unions: Labor Wants What?  
John Henderson, HR Consultant, People Results; Eric Ostrem, J.D., Assistant General Counsel, Sutter Health 
Unions continue to gain momentum not only at the state level but also nationally. Presenters will discuss efforts to organize employees with demands for higher wages, comprehensive health and wellness benefits, and additional fringe benefits that challenge hospital executives and human resource professionals.  

4:15 – 5:00 p.m. | Legislative Update – Past, Present and Future 
Erika Frank, Vice President Policy and Legal Counsel, California Hospital Association 
What happened in 2024 and what should you expect in 2025? You’ve come to the right place. Gain an understanding of the latest legislative update covering new laws that went into effect this year followed by proposed legislation that may impact you the next.   

5:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Reception 

7:30 – 8:30 a.m. | Continental Breakfast 

8:30 – 8:45 a.m. | Welcome Back 
Erika Frank, Vice President Policy and Legal Counsel, California Hospital Association 

8:45 – 10:15 a.m. | General Session | It’s Not About Lunch! Wage & Hour Requirements  
Muira Mishra, J.D., Founder and Principle, MKM Law Group; Richard Simmons, Esq. Partner, SheppardMullin 
State and federal wage and hour laws are complicated. With each passing year, they seem harder to follow. Hospital staffing needs create an additional layer of complexity as units and supervisors struggle to maintain staff ratios while at the same time ensuring proper breaks and schedules are maintained. Hear from the experts as they discuss recent wage and hour cases (affectionately known as war stories), meal and rest break requirements, and best practices on when and what to pay on-call employees.  

10:15 – 10:45 a.m. | Break and Sponsor Visit 

10:45 – 11:45 a.m. | General Session | Chat What? Implications of AI in the Workplace  
Lindsay Szymanski, J.D., Associate and Christopher Spiers, J.D., Associate, Jones Day 
Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence (AI) – it is the “Gucci” of the workplace. We all want it, but can we operationally and legally afford it? 

AI is increasingly being used in the health care arena. Let’s break things down and gain a working knowledge of AI, why it’s trending in the health care industry, and how to embrace this emerging technology without fear. 

11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Hosted Lunch  

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | General Session | How To’s of Workplace Investigations 
TBD 
Over the last several years, particularly in the wake of a pandemic, what were traditional employee relationship issues are now turning into claims of harassment and discrimination. This phenomenon is creating a conundrum for human resources. Do you investigate claims internally, or turn them over to counsel? Discover how employee complaints are becoming increasingly challenging for human resource departments and how they impact your obligation to investigate – whether that means through your internal process or externally.  

1:30 – 2:45 p.m. | Closing Session | Hot Topics and What’s Trending?   
Is there something you forgot to ask or something we didn’t cover? Don’t worry. This is your opportunity to ask pressing questions you may not have thought about before. Enjoy an engaging and highly interactive roundtable where you drive the discussion topics. Additionally, experts will address questions about service and support animals, employees bringing kids to work, pros and cons of workplace potlucks, romances and more. 

2:45 – 3:00 p.m. | Closing Comments  
Erika Frank, Vice President Policy and Legal Counsel, California Hospital Association

Tuition

Members Only: $399

Members are CHA member hospitals. Education programs and publications are a membership benefit and are not available to eligible non-member California hospitals.

Cancellation Policy

A $75 non-refundable processing fee will be retained for each cancellation. Cancellations must be made in writing 7 or more days prior to the scheduled event and emailed to [email protected]. No refunds will be made after these dates. Substitutions are encouraged. In the unlikely event that the program is canceled, refunds will be issued to paid registrants within 30 days.

Quality Assurance/Grievance

The CHA education quality assurance/grievance policy is available upon request by emailing [email protected]. If you have any concerns or dissatisfaction with the quality of a CHA education program, please contact Robyn Thomason, Vice President, Education at (916) 552-7514, or email [email protected].

Questions?

Contact the Education Department at [email protected].

The Westin Long Beach
333 East Ocean Boulevard
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 436-3000

Discount Deadline is January 29.
The Westin Long Beach has rooms available at the discounted rate of $229 plus taxes. For reservations, call (562) 436-3000 and mention the “2025 HR Conference”. Don’t delay; the deadline for discounted sleeping rooms is Wednesday, January 29, 2025.