Telecare at NatCon26 Leadership and Recovery in Action

In late April, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing hosted NatCon26 in Denver, Colorado. Telecare is a proud member of the National Council and was thrilled that several team members were selected as presenters this year.

Omar Gonzalez-Valentino, Lauren Kahn, Ashley Flores, Brenda Hamamoto, and Julia Egan represented Telecare across individual presentations, panel discussions, and poster sessions. Lara Buckley and Arielle Marin contributed to the development of the hybrid workforce presentation.

Omar hosted a session exploring how caring adults, clinicians, and health system partners can serve as key bridges for bi-cultural youth navigating questions of identity and belonging. Lauren moderated a panel with Ashley, Omar, and Brenda on the value of peer professionals in crisis behavioral health settings, challenging common myths about the peer workforce and offering a practical framework for peer integration. The session drew broad interest in Telecare's transdisciplinary team model and earned recognition for the Recovery-Centered Clinical System. Julia presented a poster on Telecare's hybrid behavioral health workforce model, demonstrating how tele-clinicians can address staffing gaps, expand access, and support continuity of care across programs.

The team left Denver energized, connected, and reminded that the work happening across Telecare programs every day belongs to something much larger. We are so proud of everyone who represented Telecare on a national stage!