• Home
  • articles
  • Education
    • TTOUR Program
    • Registered Apprentice Program
    • Continuing Education
    • Faculty Education
    • Micro Certification
  • Resources
    • Older Adults Resources
    • Caregivers Resources
    • Professional Resources
    • Academic Resources
    • Newsletters
    • Educational Database
  • About Us

Continuing Education

June 2026

1st Speaker of the Month:

Kristin Rigsbee

Seminar Title: Long Term Care Ombudsman

Register Now

Presentation Date: 6/5/2026

Presentation Time: 11:00 AM

Seminar Details: This presentation provides a comprehensive overview of the Long Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman Program in San Diego County, detailing its mission to advocate for the dignity and quality of care for residents in long-term care facilities. Created in the mid-1970s as a federally mandated but state-administered volunteer program, the initiative operates across 84 skilled nursing and 590 residential care facilities in the region. It outlines the rigorous 40-hour training and certification process for its 35 volunteer advocates, their role in investigating complaints and elder abuse, and the specific rights of residents they are sworn to protect, such as freedom from retaliation and the right to self-determination. Additionally, the presentation emphasizes the necessity of resident consent for active intervention and provides contact information for 24-hour reporting and community training.

Speaker Bio: Kristin Rigsbee is the Education and Outreach Specialist for the County of San Diego Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. She received her B.S in Psychology from Appalachian State University in Boone North Carolina. She has worked for the past 25 years in the long-term care facilities in San Diego County. She has worked for 20 years as a case manager/social worker in several skilled nursing facilities. She has also worked for 5 years as the Memory Care Director in assisted living. She has held her RCFE Administrators License while working in assisted living. Prior to coming to the Ombudsman Program, she worked as a care coordinator for an Elder Law Attorney. In 2014 she came to the Ombudsman Program in the position as the North Coastal Regional Coordinator. 6 months later she was moved to her current position in Outreach and Education. In 2017 she received the “Tools of the Trade” award from the California Long Term Care Ombudsman Association for innovation and excellence in training. She continues to recruit all volunteers as well as provide the state certification training for new Ombudsman, and all community and facility training regarding elder issues and mandated reporting.

Seminar Objectives:

  • Define the program’s role in advocating for the dignity and quality of life of residents and recognize its history as a federally mandated advocacy program created in the mid-1970s.
  • Outline the scope of the San Diego County program, including its oversight of 84 skilled nursing facilities and 590 residential care facilities across six specific regions.
  • Describe the primary duties of an Ombudsman, such as investigating complaints and elder abuse , and identify the training requirements for certified volunteers
  • Summarize fundamental rights, such as the right to self-determination and freedom from restraints, while identifying common complaints like inappropriate discharge or inadequate staffing
  • Identify the specific environmental and care factors Ombudsmen monitor during visits, including safety hazards, medication storage, and resident grooming.
  • Understand the necessity of obtaining written resident consent before taking action and learn how to utilize the 24-hour confidential reporting system.

2nd Speaker of the Month:

Amit Khurana, PharmD

Seminar Title: From Bedside to Bottom Line: A Win-Win Playbook for Addressing Opioid Use Disorder in Older Adults

Register

Presentation Date: 6/19/2026

Presentation Time: 11:00 AM

Seminar Details: This Grand Rounds presentation provides a comprehensive playbook for addressing Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in older adults, specifically within Tribal, Underserved, and Rural (TTOUR) communities in California. The presentation utilizes the Age-Friendly 4Ms framework—What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility—to outline interdisciplinary roles for clinicians, pharmacists, and social workers in identifying and treating OUD. It emphasizes that improving OUD care is a “win-win” strategy that enhances patient outcomes, such as reduced mortality and fall prevention, while simultaneously optimizing financial sustainability through Medicare quality metrics like MIPS Measure 2 and various California-specific funding levers. By detailing clinical frameworks, treatment considerations for medications like buprenorphine, and a three-tier financial case, the presentation serves as a call to action for healthcare providers to implement routine screening and integrated care models.

Background: Dr. Amit Kaur Khurana is a health insurance executive and pharmacist who drives pharmacy strategy in Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial, ACA and TRICARE lines of business. Over the last three decades, she has worked in community pharmacy, academia, and managed care organizations developing metric-driven, holistic solutions that result in increased wellness of targeted members. She is passionate about the future of healthcare as a continuum and believes in strengthening strategic partnerships between payors, providers and hospital systems to achieve higher quality and lower cost outcomes. She currently consults on Azusa Pacific University’s Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) grant as a Pharmacy subject-matter expert.

Seminar Objectives: 

  • Identify at least three clinical presentations of opioid use disorder (OUD) in adults aged 65 and older that are commonly misattributed to normal aging, dementia, or other comorbid conditions.
  • Apply the Age-Friendly Health Systems 4Ms framework (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, Mobility) to the interdisciplinary assessment and management of OUD risk in older adults across various healthcare settings.
  • Understand how documentation of OUD risk screening generates measurable reimbursement value for eligible clinicians and organizations.
  • Differentiate the quality and reimbursement mechanisms relevant to each practice setting represented in TTOUR communities, and identify at least one actionable financial lever applicable to their own organizational context.
  • Formulate at least one discipline-specific clinical or administrative action to improve OUD identification, treatment, and documentation in their practice setting that simultaneously advances patient-centered care goals and organizational quality performance outcomes.

3rd Speaker of the Month:

Catherine Heinlein, EdD

Seminar Title: Diabetes Care in the Older Adult: Nutrition Implications

Register Now

Presentation Date: 6/26/2026

Presentation Time: 11:00 AM

Seminar Details: This presentation explores person-centered care strategies that move beyond traditional clinical metrics. It highlights the significant intersection of aging, diabetes, and disability, noting that approximately 43.9% of adults aged 65 and older live with a disability and nearly 30% have diabetes. The core of the presentation advocates for an “inclusive lens” in nutrition that prioritizes quality of life, addresses food insecurity, and actively combats ableism and implicit bias within healthcare practices. By utilizing frameworks like the 4Ms (Mentation, Medications, Mobility, and What Matters Most), the session provides clinicians with best practices for communication—such as using person-first language—and a four-step process to simplify treatment plans to optimize safety and engagement for older patients.

Speaker Bio: Catherine Heinlein, EdD, MSN, FNP-BC, RDN, CDCES, focuses her practice on helping individuals take control of their physical, mental, and spiritual health by setting and achieving personal goals for long-term well-being. She is accomplished in curriculum development, implementation, and enhancement. With extensive experience as a registered dietitian nutritionist, registered nurse, certified diabetes care and education specialist, college educator, and global health leader, Heinlein brings a wealth of expertise. Her doctoral training supports her specialization in communication theory, decision-making, planning, and program evaluation. Heinlein is committed to guiding nursing students—both locally and globally—in achieving their full professional potential. She considers ongoing mentorship not only a responsibility but a personal ministry.

Past Speakers

June 2025

Past Speaker:

Anthony Wehbe, DO

Seminar Title: Acute Level Care at Home

Register Now

Seminar Details: This presentation introduces the Hospital-at-Home (HaH) model as a safe, evidence-based, and cost-effective alternative to traditional inpatient hospitalization. Developed by leading clinicians and backed by data from national programs, this approach transforms patients’ homes into controlled, monitored care environments—reducing hospital-acquired infections, improving patient satisfaction, and lowering healthcare costs. The presentation outlines the clinical model, eligibility criteria, program workflow, and technology infrastructure used by Sena Health to deliver 24/7 coordinated care at home. It also highlights the advantages for patients, providers, and payers, and explains why medical groups are uniquely positioned to succeed with HaH programs.

Background: Dr. Wehbe is an award-winning physician and healthcare executive whose people-centric, physician-focused leadership optimizes clinical outcomes and improves clinical performance to achieve optimal health and efficiency. He designs and executes strategies that maximize opportunities, while always improving clinical quality for patients and various organizations.

Not interested in this speaker?

Check out some of our past and Upcoming speakers:

January Speakers
February Speakers
March Speakers
April Speakers
May Speakers
June Speakers
July Speakers
August Speakers
September Speakers
October Speakers
November Speakers
December Speakers

Interested in Presenting at an Upcoming CE Event?

Click the button to submit an application:

Apply Now

Want to More Education?

Check out some of our Articles:

  • Elevating Geriatric Excellence: The TTOUR Course Returns This March

    At Azusa Pacific University, we are committed to transforming the landscape of healthcare for our aging population. Following the successful…

    Read More

  • Innovation Spotlight: Elli Cares App – Preventing Wandering, Connecting Families

    Picture an older adult living alone in a suburban neighborhood. Their adult child lives far away, balancing work and family.…

    Read More

  • California’s ALW Program: Reducing Nursing Home Costs with Access Challenges

    California’s Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) program, a Medi-Cal initiative, fully funds the monthly cost of care, meals, and residence in…

    Read More

Age-Friendly Care

Age-Friendly Care is funded by the GWEP Grant. This is an official grant of Azusa Pacific University and is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Useful Links

About Us

Newsletter Sign Up

Submit a Question

Contact Us

(626) 815-6011

GWEP@APU.EDU

701 E Foothill Blvd, Azusa, CA 91702