Expanding CIL Public Health Expertise: The Pandemic and Beyond
Barry Fox-Quamme, ILR Executive Director and Dr. Michelle Williams, ND, MBA/MPH ILR Public Health Specialist
Session Overview:
ILR Executive Director Barry Fox-Quamme and Dr. Michelle Williams, ND, MBA/MPH will jointly lead this workshop in an effort to share their experiences over the past few years for the benefit of attendees.
ILR's Public Health Specialist Dr. Williams joined the ILR staff in the spring of 2022 with funding from ACL's Public Health Workforce Development Project. Funding for Dr. Williams’ position has recently been extended for beyond that initial award for a revised position via a Tier 2 Grant from Oregon Health & Sciences University's Knight Cancer Institute through July 2025. ILR hopes to apply for a Tier 3 Grant for 2025-2027 to continue public health systems change and ensure consumer access to her expertise.
The Covid-19 Pandemic offered The Independent Living Movement many challenges and opportunities. We were challenged to learn more about the needs of consumers isolated from the pandemic and facing new healthcare barriers. We found opportunities to work creatively and offer innovative peer counseling experiences. From remote services to in-home services, peer counselors expanded engagement with consumers in new ways. ILR outreach to county public health boards during the pandemic created new partnerships and collaborations, as well as insights into how chronic consumer health conditions can be complicated by Long Covid-19 symptoms. We are pleased to share experiences and outcomes with APRIL Conference participants.
Additional Materials for This Session:
About Your Presenters:
Barry Fox-Quamme, ILR Executive Director
Barry Fox-Quamme has served more than 19 years at ILR. He has graduate studies in philosophy and social ethics at Gonzaga and Marquette Universities, and has been an advocate, educator and not-for-profit executive for more than 30 years. He offers insights gained from living with a progressive neurological disability complicated by Long Covid-19.
Fox-Quamme is also an expert in the Independent Living (IL) Movement and in the Aging & Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) system in Oregon. He is a past member of the governing council of Metro Portland ADRC and past Oregon IL Representative to the Federal ADRC Learning Collaborative. He has led webinars and workshops for Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) in collaboration with The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), and for The Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL), and The National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA).
Fox-Quamme is the current president of the Association of Oregon Centers for Independent Living (AOCIL) and a past member of Oregon’s State Independent Living Council (SILC). He was a founding member of Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) Community Partners Council (CPC) and the Interfaith Disabilities Network of Oregon (IDNO). He also served for 6 years as an APRIL executive peer mentor for CILs in Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Utah (2012 - 2018).
Dr. Michelle Williams, ND, MBA/MPH ILR Public Health Specialist
ILR's Public Health Specialist Dr. Williams joined the ILR staff in the spring of 2022 with funding from ACL's Public Health Workforce Development Project. She brings almost a decade of work as a naturopathic physician and clinic director to her work at ILR. Dr. Williams recently completed her MBA/MPH graduate degree from a collaborative program between Portland State University (PSU) and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). She is currently working for ILR as principal investigator for a Tier 2 Grant from OHSU’s Knight cancer Institute and public health specialist.