2026 Policy & Issues Forum (P&I) Call for Abstracts

The 2026 Policy & Issues Forum unites CHC executives, clinicians, board members, and state association leaders to shape the future of primary care in America. The U.S. faces critical healthcare challenges – with only 4.7% of U.S. healthcare spending directed to primary care and 100 million Americans lacking reliable access to affordable primary care. Thousands of CHC leaders from around the country will join national leaders and change-makers to develop strategies for expanding access to primary care to reduce chronic disease, save lives and reduce costs. The NACHC P&I Forum will focus on innovative approaches to chronic disease management, demonstrate the cost-saving impact of CHCs to bipartisan members of Congress, and help shape policies that help make Americans healthy. CHCs serve 32.5 million patients in rural, urban. and suburban communities across the country (10% of the US population) but represent roughly 1% of total annual health care spend in the US. Their innovative and comprehensive model improves health and reduces costly ER care, delivering savings to American taxpayers.

About the Education Program:

NACHC anticipates offering at least fifty (50) 60-minute workshops during the 2026 P&I. This year, we are looking for sessions that position health centers as the Employer, Provider, and Partner of Choice (EPPOC) for primary care and advancing health access:

• Partner of Choice: Position health centers as the partner of choice among all healthcare stakeholders to catalyze innovation and improve health. Healthcare Stakeholders = Patients, Providers, Payers, Purchasers, & Policy Makers.
• Employer of Choice: Position health centers as the employer of choice by identifying strategies and best practices to educate, recruit, and retain a high-quality workforce that represents the people we serve.
• Provider of Choice: Positioning health centers as the provider of choice for all patients (and payers) across the lifespan through the provision of comprehensive, high-quality primary care that delivers on the Quintuple Aim.

Important Call for Abstract Dates

• September 5, 2025: Completed submissions are due by 6:00 PM ET.
• Late-September 2025: Abstract review period
• October 2025: Education program announced: abstract submitters will be notified via email

Education sessions will feature best practices and innovative solutions in the content areas below:

• 340B Compliance and Policy
• Advocacy and Mobilization
• Health Center Essentials
• Health Center Governance
• Policy Analysis
• Whole-Person Health and Quality Improvement
• NEW in 2026: Serving Medically Underserved Populations
• Value-Based Care/Payment Innovation and Transformation
• Workforce Investment in the Future

Session Formats:

Workshop: A 60-minute presentation by one or more speakers, or a panel discussion, followed by Q&A. These sessions should incorporate some interactive components for the audience (e.g. polling). Sessions will offer continuing education contact hours and be assigned a NACHC staff liaison to ensure compliance with accreditation and facilitate session coordination and review materials.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Networking Session: A 60-minute facilitated session that focus on topics that affect health centers such as – but not limited to – legislative and regulatory practices, operational issues, good governance practices, and the unique challenges that come with health center management and patient care. P2Ps are innovative opportunities for learning in small group settings, where participants exchange ideas and network on issues most relevant to health centers. NACHC Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Networking Sessions do not qualify for continuing education contact hours. A NACHC staff liaison will be assigned to each P2P session to facilitate session coordination and review materials.

Key Considerations:

• For-profit entities must partner with a health center or PCA/HCCN/NTTAP to be considered, and session faculty must include these health center or PCA/HCCN/NTTAP partners. Please confirm all speakers in your abstract prior to submission.
• Submissions with full session details (e.g. title, description, learning objectives, & speakers) will be prioritized.
• An education session is not a sales or vendor marketing opportunity; rather, it should provide actionable and relevant information for health center leaders to apply in a vendor-agnostic session.
• Demonstrate how your work is relevant to health centers, and why they should know about it..
• Please clearly describe how the session fits the selected track(s).
• Unless otherwise noted, sessions are limited to 60 minutes in length, including time for questions and answers.

Abstract Submission Selection Criteria:

• Interest: Would the session attract high interest from attendees?
• Application: Would the ideas shared in this session be applicable to other health centers?
• Clarity: Are the abstract and learning objectives clear and well-articulated?
• Creativity: Would this session introduce new ideas, approaches, and concepts?
• Relevance: Is this topic relevant to health centers?

NOTE: NACHC may consider combining sessions based upon topic, session format, speakers, or other factors. NACHC also reserves the right to edit session titles and descriptions to meet the organization's marketing and branding guidelines.

Speaker Expenses:

At the time of publishing this call for sessions, no travel or hotel expenses will be provided to speakers. Speakers currently qualify for a $50 discount on conference registration fees and must register in order to participate beyond their individual session.

Terms:

• All abstract proposals will be reviewed by a committee composed of health center leaders and industry experts, with support from NACHC staff.
• This is a competitive process. Due to the limited number of available education session slots, not all proposals will be accepted for conference presentations. Submitters will be notified of their abstract status in October 2026.

To review the submission requirements, click here.

Thank you for your continued support of NACHC and the professional development of the health center workforce! For questions regarding the 2026 P&I Forum, please contact eventlogistics@nachc.org.