Multiple Pathways to Recovery Support: The Value and Use of Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Peers in Texas
This session is designed to illustrate how mental health and addiction recovery peers with lived experience promote recovery and transformation in Texas and directly impact the health system, with a mention of current research being done to help increase capacity and cross-state connections of people in recovery in Texas.
About our speaker:
Kimberly Allen is a recognized leader in behavioral health and insurance. As a past fully licensed insurance agent and a licensed addiction treatment and mental health business professional, Kimberly used her insurance knowledge and experience to independently consult with addiction treatment provider organizations, assisting executive leaders in developing and implementing strategies designed to maximize business opportunities through forming and building strategic partnerships with insurance organizations. Her technical assistance included participating in insurance contract rate negotiations and managed care relationship development. She also provided staff trainings on all processes and procedures related to insurance.
In addition, Kimberly is well known for providing private services designed for insured behavioral health consumers, wherein she advocated for consumers within the health claims appeals process, helping to increase claims settlements and resolve barriers to access to care. She has years of experience in recovery coaching in addiction and mental health support services.
Kimberly’s current focus includes the systems level expansion and use of peer and family recovery support services with national regulators, corporations, health systems and insurers. She conducted national research and training on the value and use of peer and family supporters in integrated health systems and managed care organizations.
Past roles include consulting with leading behavioral healthcare organizations in business development, and serving as a faculty member of the treatment and recovery business learning collaboratives, designed to help treatment and recovery organizations maximize current funding and service opportunities inherent in healthcare reform and identify and address barriers to growth. Other past experience includes working as Administrator of an addiction treatment center where she was responsible for daily operational leadership and overall systems for delivery of quality services and working in managed behavioral healthcare in sales and account management, managing business customer relationships covering over 300,000 covered lives in the states of Texas and Oklahoma.
Recent honors include being awarded the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance national Peer Advocate of the year and serving on numerous Patient and Stakeholder Advisory Panels and Committees, including with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Harvard Medical School, the Mayo Clinic and the Dauten Center for Bipolar Disorders at Mass General Hospital. She is on global Board of Directors, including The Healthy Brains Global Initiative, The Stability Network. She is on the Advisory Board of SHE Recovers Foundation, The University of Texas Steve Hicks School of Social Work and the International Advisory Board of Movement for Global Mental Health.
Kimberly is past Chair of the Depression and Bipolar Support Association Texas Grassroots Organization. She is a Charter Member of the Addiction Professional Business Learning Collaborative sponsored by NAADAC. She is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, past Certified Peer in mental health through Via Hope Mental Health Resources in Texas, past certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist through the Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals. She holds a Master of Science in Family Studies. She is trained in risk management, Mental Health First Aid, Suicide Prevention, and mediation, among others.
Agenda:
6:50am - Coffee & Networking
7:10am - Breakfast Buffet
7:25am - Introductions & Announcements
7:50am - Speaker Introduction
8:20am - Q&A
8:30am - Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Directions and Parking
Breakfast Fees & Policy
