Join us for an insightful discussion on early intervention to prevent work disability. Panelists will explore how early intervention programs help workers stay in the labor force after experiencing a new illness or injury, where critical gaps in access to these services exist, the consequences of needless job loss and withdrawal from the workforce for workers and society, and implications for federal policy. The discussion will draw on lessons learned from Washington State’s Centers for Occupational Health and Education intervention strategy, which reduced the rate at which injured workers left the labor force and became eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits by 30 percent. The panel will discuss the effectiveness of early intervention in improving employment and health outcomes for workers with a range of conditions, including mental health, musculoskeletal, and pain-related conditions, and how early intervention can help combat the opioid epidemic.
 

Registration is required to attend the event.

Speakers:

• Jennifer Christian, President and Chief Medical Officer, Webility Corporation; Chair, Work Fitness and Disability Section, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Gary Franklin, Medical Director, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries; Research Professor, University of Washington
• Andy Imparato, Executive Director, Association of University Centers on Disabilities; Former Disability Policy Director, US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
• Jack Smalligan, Senior Policy Fellow, Income and Benefits Policy Center, Urban Institute
• Chantel Boyens, Principal Policy Associate, Income and Benefits Policy Center, Urban Institute (moderator)