HICAP- Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program

Michael is a California Department of Aging certified Medicare counselor. Michael provides Medicare education classes to beneficiaries by working with community partners in Marin, Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino and Solano counties.

Michael has been a Key-Note Speaker for a myriad of Medicare conventions, community aging panels, County Library Speaker Series, etc.

After the closing of his Sonoma County small business in 2020, Michael discovered the complicated world of Medicare while assisting his parents with their Medicare related issues. Michael jumped at the opportunity to work with HICAP.

Michael now finds great joy in his role offering free and unbiased Medicare education to the community.

Vivalon

Michele Levine serves as the Healthy Aging Programs Manager at Vivalon, a role she has embraced since August 2022. As a key member of the Programs team, she played a pivotal role in the relocation to our new Healthy Aging Campus in January 2024. The Programs team offers an impressive 50 different classes each month, with Michele overseeing both Digital Literacy and Health and Wellness programming, including our Falls Prevention initiatives. Michele holds a BA in Sociology and a Master’s degree in Education.

Alzheimer’s Association

Carmen is the Community Engagement Specialist for the Alzheimer’s Association in the North Bay. She has also been with the U.S. Pointer Study at the Alzheimer’s Association in Sacramento, CA for the last 5 years. In this role, she has supported study participants in making lifestyle changes to help reduce the risk of dementia. She has a BA degree in Psychology and Speech Language Pathology. In her free time she enjoys hiking and sailing on the SF bay.

Culturally Competent Approaches to Meeting the Needs of LGBT+ Older People

Bill Blackburn: Cultural Competency Trainer, Consultant, Writer, Community Builder, Cultural Change Advocate

At the beginning of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, The Spahr Center of Marin hired Bill to develop an LGBT+ senior program to keep people from falling further into isolation. Initially, he facilitated two weekly socialization groups on zoom and sent out a weekly newsletter going to 380 people with Covid updates, community news, resource information and uplift. As the pandemic lessened, he initiated a variety of in-person events around Marin County. He managed the program until, in February of this year, The Spahr Center was forced to close due to financial unsustainability. Through that experience and being a gay senior himself, he knows firsthand the fear many LGBT+ older people have that they may have to go back into the closet when entering care situations. 

Bill taught Cultural Competency Trainings for Healthcare Providers in Caring for LGBTQI Patients at both Stanford Hospitals and Clinics and at UCSF School of Nursing. The trainings awarded continuing education units to participants and garnered excellent evaluations. 

He has worked to increase the holistic health and wellness of LGBTQ people, founding a Lesbian and Gay Hotline in Eugene, Oregon, in 1979. Since 1988, he has been involved in the Billy Community (no relationship to his name,) a heart-centered community of gay, bi and trans men, leading workshops, Heart Circles, retreats and rituals to deepen connection to heart and spirit for men seeking more depth and support than is generally offered in mainstream gay culture. For eight years, he served on the Billy Foundation Board of Directors, where he taught consensus and designed and facilitated Visioning Retreats. In 2003-2004, working as a consultant for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, he designed and implemented the creation of ManREACH, a heart-centered community modeled on the Billy Community, as a holistic intervention for isolated, hard-to-reach, at-risk rural gay, bi, and queer men in Colorado. ManREACH celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. 

Additionally, he participated for 6 years with The UNtraining: Unlearning White Liberal Racism, peeling away residual layers of unconscious enculturation and conditioning as well as deepening his understanding of intersectionality and his capacity to be an ally to BIPOC people. 

Bill will speak on the importance of culturally competent approaches to meeting the needs of LGBT+ older people. 

Introduction to AgeWell PACE

Introduction to AgeWell PACE, a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, servicing most of Sonoma and Marin Counties. Explanation of PACE facilities, services provided, and our unique care model. Discussion regarding qualifications and eligibility including the enrollment process.

Chenoa Cue is a dedicated and passionate registered nurse with diverse experience in areas including geriatrics, pediatrics, fertility, and oncology. Having a background as a medical assistant, she holds degrees in psychology, sociology, and behavioral health sciences. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Columbia College where she graduated with distinction after completion of an original research project entitled Critical Thinking Skills in Baccalaureate Nursing Students, as well as completion of a community service project regarding the effects of virtual learning on the mental health of school-aged children. Prior to joining Agewell, she worked in an Oncology infusion clinic; although it was very fulfilling work, she looks forward to making a large impact through individualized compassionate care focused on enriching the lives of the seniors we serve.

Presentation by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of Washington DC

This is an exciting opportunity for The Marin Section on Aging Members. Jenefer Duane, originally from Marin and currently with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has coordinated an outstanding educational program for April. The CFPB was initially developed by Senator Elizabeth Warren, and it has outstanding materials for our members to access and share with their clients and colleagues.

Please join us for a presentation by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of Washington DC. Lisa Schifferle will share strategies to combat elder financial exploitation through network collaboration and age-friendly banking.

Lisa Weintraub Schifferle is a Senior Policy Analyst in the CFPB’s Office for Older Americans. She leads the Managing Someone Else’s Money financial caregiving program as well as the Money Smart for Older Adults scam awareness program. Ms. Schifferle’s career in consumer protection spans more than 25 years. Before coming to the CFPB, she worked at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), where she trained consumers, business and advocates on scams, identity theft, and cybersecurity. She also served as the FTC’s Identity Theft Coordinator and litigated fraud and data security cases.

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is the federal agency that provides health coverage to more than 160 million through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. CMS works in partnership with the entire health care community to improve quality, equity and outcomes in the health care system. This program will discuss the expansions to Medicare under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The new drug law makes improvements to Medicare that will expand benefits, lower drug costs, keep prescription drug premiums stable, and improve the strength of the Medicare program. The law also extends enhanced financial help to purchase HealthCare.gov and state-based Marketplace plans and expands access to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended vaccines for adults with Medicaid coverage.

Cristina Collazo serves as an Outreach Specialist at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of Program Operations and Local Engagement. Cristina educates consumers, providers and other partners about CMS programs and initiatives. Cristina has also worked in a variety of public and private sector employment in the areas of labor law and health law. Cristina is a member of the California bar and holds a B.A. from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law. 

Today and Tomorrow: Retirement Housing Options

There is a wide and growing variety of retirement housing options for seniors in Marin County.  Hunter has worked on options accross the country and in other countries.  He will touch briefly on the benefits and drawbacks of each of the major options, suggest how to find what it best for your loved one/client, how to get the best deals/save money, as well as answer your questions in an open and honest manner.