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Wage and Hour Compliance | Workplace Safety | Managing Reasonable Accommodations | Leaves of Absence | Labor Relations | AI in the Workplace
Knowing all the labor and employment laws (and remaining compliant with them) in the Golden State isn’t always so golden. The only thing you can count on in human resources are the operational challenges of the workplace obligations hospitals must follow.
We can help.
The 2025 HR Conference is coming to Long Beach in February! Hosted by the California Hospital Association in partnership with the Hospital Association of Southern California, this conference will cover topics human resource professionals in health care need to know about.
Network with peers, and listen to what is working at other facilities. Customize those ideas to fit your facility.
Who should attend?
Human resources leaders and staff, employee safety and workers’ compensation directors and managers, nursing directors, risk and compliance leaders, and in-house counsel will all find value.
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; Wanda Cole-Frieman, Senior Vice President Talent Acquisition, CommonSpirit Health
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.
Learning objectives:
- Review the state and federal laws impacting recruitment such as criminal background check requirements, drug testing and use of automative systems
- Describe current trends in recruitment strategies for short-term and long-term vacancies
- Identify effective strategies to retaining a robust and consistent workforce including addressing employee well-being, the importance of workplace culture, and resources and benefits employees want in this modern age
1:45 – 2:45 p.m. | General Session | Tips to Effectively Manage Reasonable Accommodations
Baily Bifoss, J.D., Employment Litigation Partner, Seyfarth Shaw; Karla Torres, Supervisor, Accommodation & Leave Management and Alia Porinsh, J.D., 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.
Learning objectives:
- Review the legal requirements as it relates to reasonable accommodations under the ADA and FMLA, that includes medical and religious accommodation requests.
- Demonstrate interactive process strategies including when to request a second opinion
- Define determination of reasonableness
- Review how to track and manage accommodation requests and how supervisors and managers must be included in the management process
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?
Scott Purvis, SHRM, HRCI, SPHR, Chief Operating Officer, 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.
Learning objectives:
- Explain the process for complying with state and federal laws and decisions concerning employee rights to unionize
- Discuss how opinions and decisions from the National Labor Relations Board over the last few years impact employee relations and what the future may hold under the new Administration
- Review what unions are demanding during contract negotiations
4:15 – 5:00 p.m. | Legislative Update – Past, Present and Future
Erika Frank, Vice President Policy and Legal Counsel, California Hospital Association; Kalyn Dean, Vice President, State Advocacy, California Hospital Association; Muira Mishra, J.D., Founder and Principal, MKM Law Group
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.
Learning objectives:
- Review key laws passed in 2024 that took effect in 2025
- Discuss legislation introduced impacting healthcare workers
- Explore the 2025 Legislative session outlook – issue of importance
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
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.
Learning objectives:
- Review current case law on meal and rest break requirements and best practices particularly when staffing shortages interfere with scheduled breaks
- Identify the difference between controlled and uncontrolled standby, what rates of pay are required and when
- Discuss current litigation trends in the wage and hour space and how to stay out of court
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.
Learning Objectives:
- Review what is “AI” and why is it important in the health care industry
- Discuss how “AI” impacts HIPAA covered entities
- Discuss recent litigation and regulatory efforts regarding use of AI
- Review how human resources can be any “AI” ally in the workplace
11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Hosted Lunch
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | General Session | How To’s of Workplace Investigations
Brooke Kozak, J.D., Senior Investigator, Shaw Law Group
The aftermath of #Me Too and #Times up movements resulted in a substantial increase in alleged harassment claims, leading to more workplace investigations. 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 be through your internal process or externally.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss how to identify whether a workplace investigation is legally required
- Discuss how to address employee questions during a workplace investigation
- Review of what to do in the aftermath of a workplace investigation
1:30 – 2:45 p.m. | Closing Session | Hot Topics and What’s Trending?
Shalena Desmond, PHR, SHRM-CP, Owner and Chief Advisor, Essential HR Advising; Scott Purvis, SHRM, HRCI, SPHR, Chief Operating Officer, People Results; Muira Mishra, J.D., Founder and Principle, MKM Law Group; Brooke Kozak, J.D., Senior Investigator, Shaw Law Group; Lindsay Szymanski, J.D., Associate and Christopher Spiers, J.D., Associate, Jones Day
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.
Learning Objectives:
- Review questions about service and support animals
- Engage with faculty on trending topics
- Interactive Round Table
2:45 – 3:00 p.m. | Closing Comments
Erika Frank, Vice President Policy and Legal Counsel, California Hospital Association

Baily Bifoss, J.D.
Employment Litigation Partner
Seyfarth Shaw
Bailey is a partner in Seyfarth Shaw’s San Francisco office, specializing in the handling and managing of complex representative and class action matters under California law, including wage and hour class actions and cases under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). Bailey also defends single-plaintiff litigation and agency proceedings and collaborates with clients on practical solutions to avoid litigation and increase employment compliance. Clients look to Bailey when they have questions about California employment laws including reasonable accommodation, leaves of absence, wage-and-hour matters, employee complaints and investigations, harassment training, and potential terminations and separations. Bailey serves organizations in all sectors including retail, manufacturing and distribution, and transportation, with a particular focus on the health care industry.

Wanda Cole-Frieman
Senior Vice President, Talent Acquisition
CommonSpirit Health
Wanda Cole-Frieman is a strategic partner to executive leaders leveraging 25+ years of human capital experience enabling companies to accomplish business goals through people. Her broad industry experiences range from financial services, high tech, retained executive search, and health care enable her to build impactful strategic practices in talent attraction, succession planning, and engagement always with a focus on the best possible service for the end user. She is a thought leader on the future of work and has tested and implemented practices to ensure employee wellness to drive team engagement. Ms. Cole-Frieman currently is the SVP, Talent Acquisition for CommonSpirit Health.

Shalena Desmond, PHR, SHRM-CP
Owner and Chief Advisor
Essential HR Advising
Shalena Desmond brings over 20 years of experience that spans start-ups and established organizations. Prior to launching her own Human Resources and Practice Management Consulting Company, she held HR leadership positions for several health care organizations including a non-profit health care organization and a Human Resources Business Partner for a community-based hospital.
With expertise in compliance, workforce management, and strategic HR planning, Ms. Desmond ensures that health care organizations meet their staffing needs while adhering to all federal, state, and local labor laws. she is passionate about fostering a supportive and efficient work environment and has dedicated her career to helping health care organizations attract, retain, and develop top talent, ensuring that staff are empowered to provide the best patient care possible.

Erika Frank
Vice President Policy and Legal Counsel
California Hospital Association
Erika Frank is Vice President and Legal Counsel for the California Hospital Association, specializing in labor and employment, workers’ compensation, workplace safety, workforce, community benefits, and seismic compliance. She leverages more than two decades of legal, regulatory, and legislative experience, offering a practical and insightful approach to helping employers, regulators and government leaders understand the impact workplace policies and mandates have on employers and employees alike.

Brooke Kozak, J.D.
Senior Investigator
Shaw Law Group, PC
Brooke Kozak has served as the lead investigator on a variety of complex and sensitive workplace investigations involving high-level executives, elected officials, and multiple respondents, among other challenging circumstances. She regularly investigates allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, failure to accommodate, workplace violence, unfair hiring practices, and general employee misconduct. She also advises employers in all areas of employment law and facilitates training sessions for employees on key topics such as harassment prevention, respect and professionalism at work, and conducting effective internal investigations.
Muira Mishra, J.D.
Founder and Principal
MKM Law Group
As founder and principal of MKM Law Group, Muira Mishra brings more than 30 years of employment law experience, offering expert legal and practical business advice on a wide range of labor and employment-related matters. Ms. Mishra has provided legal advice to a broad array of clients, ranging from international corporations, health care systems, financial institutions and franchised retail shops to non-profit companies and sole proprietors. She served as the primary legal advisor to management and human resource professionals on a multitude of issues, including wage/hour laws, new legislation, sensitive employee disciplines or terminations, leaves of absence management and reasonable accommodation obligations, union campaigns and collective bargaining matters, corporate restructuring and reductions-in-force.

Eric Ostrem, J.D.
Assistant General Counsel
Sutter Health
Mr. Ostrem is an experienced in-house employment and labor law attorney at Sutter Health, a leading nonprofit health system based in Northern California. With a deep expertise in traditional labor law, Eric handles a wide range of labor and employment-related matters, providing strategic counsel to ensure compliance, mitigate risks, and support Sutter Health’s mission of delivering high-quality, accessible health care.

Alia Porinsh, J.D.
Manager Employee Relations & Reasonable Accommodations
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
Ms. Pornish joined the Employee Relations team at Cottage Health in 2016. She specializes in the areas of employment law, mediation and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). She previously served as Director of Operations at a tech start-up overseeing the areas of legal, human resources and finance and served as the HIPAA Officer.

Scott Purvis, SHRM, HRCI, SPHR
Chief Operating Officer
People Results
Scott Purvis is a skilled and trusted advisor who brings more than 25 years of experience as an accomplished human resources executive who can connect with and inspire a workforce while working with leaders to optimize best practices. He has delivered quantifiable results as an employee relations advocate and organizational change leader, deploying his expertise to map employee engagement to measurable business outcomes and drive and accelerate positive transformations under rapid growth, restructuring, and M&A conditions.

Richard Simmons, Esq.
Partner
SheppardMullin
Mr. Simmons represents employers in wage-hour, PAGA, discrimination, contract, and wrongful discharge lawsuits. He has represented employers in over 100 class action lawsuits and landmark decisions. Additionally. Mr. Simmons has expertise in various employment law matters involving litigation throughout the country and general advice regarding state and federal wage and hour laws, employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, employee discipline and termination, employee benefits, affirmative action, union representation proceedings, and contract arbitrations.

Christopher Spiers, J.D.
Associate
Jones Day
Chris Spiers has a unique combination of experience representing health care and life science clients in all aspects of litigation, arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution. He has an understanding of the operational and financial functions of health care providers by handling many of the hospital system’s commercial, managed care, and employment cases. He also led the Jones Day’s response to investigations by state and federal regulators, as well as conducted trainings for business personnel and attorneys regarding California’s regulatory environment.
Mr. Spiers has represented health care clients in significant litigation throughout the country. Including successfully litigated two multibillion dollar antitrust lawsuits on behalf of a large hospital system in state and federal courts, managed several cases across multiple jurisdictions for a large retail pharmacy, and effectively defended a large Southern California hospital system in False Claims Act litigation.

Lindsay Szymanski, J.D.
Associate
Jones Day
Lindsay Szymanski represents providers in a variety of commercial disputes concerning management and reimbursement of services. She has experience challenging underpayments by health plans for out-of-network services pursuant to “reasonable and customary” calculations, as well as underpayments made under contract. Lindsay also provides regulatory advice to digital health companies regarding corporate governance and reimbursement. She is on the editorial board of “Vital Signs,” Jones Day’s quarterly publication overviewing legal developments impacting digital health providers.

Karla Torres
Supervisor, Accommodation & Leave Management
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
Karla Torres is the Supervisor for the Accommodation & Leave Management Team at Cottage Health System. She has worked at Cottage Health for almost 4 years and has over 9 years’ experience in leave and accommodation matters.
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.
Confirmations
A confirmation will be sent to all registrants. On-site registrations and any unpaid registrations may be subject to an additional 10% fee.
Special Accommodations
If you require special accommodations pursuant to the American’s with Disabilities Act please call (916) 552-7637.
Photography
CHA will photograph this event. If you prefer not to be photographed, please email CHA at [email protected].
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].
Full participation in the program is a prerequisite for receiving professional continuing education (CE) credit. Registrant must complete post-event survey, attest to participation and, when required, provide a professional license number. CE certificates will be emailed approximately three weeks after the program. (Amount of CE offered subject to change.)
Compliance — The Compliance Certification Board (CCB)® has approved this event for up to 10.2 live CCB CEUs based on a 50-minute hour. Continuing Education Units are awarded based on individual attendance records. Granting of prior approval in no way constitutes endorsement by CCB of this event content or of the event sponsor.
Legal — CHA is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider. Provider number 1980. This participatory activity has been approved for 8.5 hours of MCLE credit.
Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by AXIS Medical Education and California Hospital Association. AXIS Medical Education is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Credit Designation Nursing — AXIS Medical Education designates this continuing nursing education activity for a maximum of 8.5 contact hours.
Learners are advised that accredited status does not imply endorsement by the provider or ANCC of any commercial products displayed in conjunction with an activity.
Healthcare Executives — ACHE Qualified Education credit must be related to healthcare management (i.e., it cannot be clinical, inspirational, or specific to the sponsoring organization). It can be earned through educational programs conducted or sponsored by any organization qualified to provide education programming in healthcare management. Programs may be sponsored by ACHE, chapters, or other qualified sources, whether the programming is face-to-face or distance offerings (webinars, online seminars, self-study courses, etc.). You will receive a certificate of completion for 8.5 hours.
Human Resource Professionals (when application is submitted):
This program has been submitted to the HR Certification Institute for review.
Risk Management (when application is submitted):
This program is pending approval for a total of 8.5 contact hours of continuing education credit toward fulfillment of the requirements of ASHRM designations of fellow (FASHRM) and distinguished fellow (DFASHRM) and towards certified professional in healthcare risk management (CPHRM) renewal.
AXIS Contact Information
For information about the accreditation of this program please contact AXIS at [email protected].
Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships
AXIS Medical Education requires faculty, instructors, authors, planners, directors, managers, peer reviewers, and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of this activity to disclose all personal financial relationships they may have in the past 24 months with ineligible companies. An ineligible entity is any organization whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. All relevant financial relationships are identified and mitigated prior to initiation of the planning phase for an activity.
AXIS has mitigated and disclosed to learners all relevant financial relationships disclosed by staff, planners, faculty/authors, peer reviewers, or others in control of content for this activity. Disclosure of a relationship is not intended to suggest or condone bias in any presentation but is made to provide participants with information that might be of potential importance to their evaluation of a presentation or activity. Disclosure information for faculty, authors, course directors, planners, peer reviewers, and/or relevant staff is provided with this activity.
The faculty reported the following relevant financial relationships or relationships they have with ineligible companies of any amount during the past 24 months:
Name of Faculty or Presenters | Reported Financial Relationship |
Scott Purvis, SHRM, HRCI, SPHR | Nothing to disclose |
Baily Bifoss, JD | Nothing to disclose |
Shalena Desmond, PHR, SHRM-CP | Nothing to disclose |
Wanda Cole-Frieman | Nothing to disclose |
Erika Frank | Nothing to disclose |
Muira Mishra, JD | Nothing to disclose |
Eric Ostrem, JD | Nothing to disclose |
Alia Porinsh, JD | Nothing to disclose |
Richard Simmons, Esq. | Nothing to disclose |
Christopher Spiers, JD | Nothing to disclose |
Lindsay Szymanski, JD | Nothing to disclose |
Karla Torres | Nothing to disclose |
Brooke Kozak, JD | Nothing to disclose |
The following directors, planners, managers, peer reviewers, and relevant staff reported no financial relationships and no relationships they have with any ineligible company of any amount during the past 24 months:
Name of Directors, Planners, Managers, Reviewers, Staff | Reported Financial Relationship |
Jessica Lightle | Nothing to disclose |
Robin Campbell | Nothing to disclose |
Jaime Welcher | Nothing to disclose |
Janet Schultz, MSN, RN, FACEHP, CHCP | Nothing to disclose |
Jennifer Hodge | Nothing to disclose |
Disclaimer
Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of patient conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.
Disclosure of Unlabeled Use
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.
Requirements for credit:
- Attend/participate in the educational activity and review all course materials.
- Complete the CE Declaration form online by 11:59 pm ET March 21, 2025. Instructions will be provided. If you do not enter the online portal by the above date, you will not be able to retrieve your statement of participation.
- Upon successful completion of the online form, your statement of completion will be presented to you to print.
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.

Connect with top health care leaders and decision-makers as a 2025 HR Conference sponsor! This event offers a unique platform for your brand to shine while empowering HR professionals with tools and insights to drive performance and innovation.
Join us to showcase your solutions, expand your network, and build lasting partnerships with influential HR leaders across the state.
View the sponsor brochure for details and sign up on our sponsor website, or contact Sharri Dixon, HASC, [email protected] or (213) 538-0739.