PARMA Conference Focused on Covid Lessons Learned

“The Carnivàle of Risk” was the theme for the annual Public Agency Risk Management Association (PARMA) 48th Conference & Expo this week in Anaheim, CA. PARMA started and ended similarly, with mental health front and center. The two keynote sessions delivered similar messages: you can learn a great deal about yourself and build resilience by leaning into anxiety and struggles. There were nearly 1,200 people in attendance, and session rooms were well attended. The conference appeared to be a success, and it was evident that attendees were happy to see their colleagues in person.?

The opening keynote speaker, Dr. Wendy Suzuki, author of Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion, addressed a packed ballroom, urging attendees to think about anxiety differently.

Dr. Suzuki shared her struggles with anxiety and offered many good tips from her book. She suggests several ways to make anxiety “good,” including 1) turning the volume down, 2) tuning into uncomfortable emotions and being curious about what they are telling you about your values, and 3) turning your anxiety into your superpower.?

Suzuki’s primary message is that you must “Be your own best coach.” The audience resonated with her message. Throughout her talk, I heard audible affirmations and exclamations from people around the room. At one point, she asked everyone to get up and follow her directed hand and body movements to lively dance music played over loudspeakers. Nearly everyone complied. Suzuki is also a Neural Science and Psychology professor in the Center for Neural Science at New York University. She left the crowd feeling energized; then, attendees set out for the first sessions of the day.

Conference attendees chose session topics from one of six categories: Safety/Health, Liability, Risk Management, Leadership, Workers’ Comp, and Insurance.?

“Evolution of Risk Management” was a live Out Front Ideas session with Kimberly George and Mark Walls. Panelists included Michael Alio with LAUSD, John Chino of Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc., Jim Thyden, CJPIA, and Dawn Watkins with LAUSD. Kimberly and Mark moderated an engaging session with the panelists who shared lessons learned working through the pandemic, civil unrest, and climate change. Panelists shared their stories of how they faced changing and emerging risks over the past two years. They also shared concerns for the future.?

Watkins shared how LAUSD embarked on what became the nation’s most significant school-based relief effort early in the pandemic, providing over 123 million meals with 30 million essential items to students and families in need. As in many large cities, a large percentage of Los Angeles Unified students come from families living in poverty, and the pandemic hit these families extremely hard.

But, Watkins said, “LAUSD went to work to take care of our community. Who was serving these meals? The food service workers who were out of work.” She was also quick to point out employers in the community who participated in the relief efforts, including Netflix, See’s Candy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and many others.??

After the panel shared lessons learned during the pandemic, they shared their thoughts on litigation in their respective areas.

Watkins said, “In workers’ compensation, I'm seeing more collaboration than ever before. We must continue to break down the silos and encourage more collaboration with each other.”

She also touched on the great resignation and encouraged attendees to settle more claims, offering this tip:

“With so many people retiring at this time, bump your workers’ comp claims up against the names of people who put in for retirement and offer them settlements.”?

The panel talked briefly about the impact of climate change on municipal entities and how to better prepare for those risks. Kimberly and Mark then shifted the conversation to the changing insurance market.

Alio said, “I’m not feeling like insurance companies are our partners like they were five years ago.”

Watkins commented on the hard market, the need to periodically evaluate your business, focus on loss prevention, and know what is driving your losses.

Chino agreed with the other panelists remarking, “It is challenging for insurance companies to make a profit in California. It’s the top judicial hellhole. Do what you can to be a better risk for insurers.”

They closed out the session discussing emerging issues. Watkins offered her concerns about ongoing access to medical care, exacerbated by staffing issues everywhere, combined with the fact that claims staff are leaving the industry in significant numbers and a greater emphasis on mental health issues. Thyden discussed the growing need for companies to manage knowledge transfer better. With a more substantial number of employees now working from home, there are persistent supply chain issues, Cannabis-related issues, and the increasing need for safety training with younger and inexperienced workers.

Chino shared that school enrollments are down significantly everywhere, particularly in higher learning, creating budget shortfalls. He also talked about the growing risk of uncertainty, adding: “There are black swans, gray swans, white elephants, and everything in between. There is just so much uncertainty.”

Finally, Alio shared his concerns about mental health and labor market issues across all sectors, making it challenging to fill positions.?

Kimberly and Mark closed the session by sharing resources for people facing mental health issues, including the Center for Workplace Mental Health https://workplacementalhealth.org/ and Stamp Out Stigma https://www.stampoutstigma.com/.

PARMA offered many interesting and informative sessions,? making it difficult for attendees to choose which sessions to attend. Every session appeared full or overflowing, with attendees standing in the back of the room.?

Another highlight of the conference was “Workers’ Comp Bingo,” the 22nd annual presentation by the Hanna Brophy law firm. Friend and colleague JP Navarro tipped me off about this session with Keith Epstein, Ruben Pineda, and Rameneh Torres, presenters, who delivered Workers’ Comp Bingo to an eager crowd. Attendees were given a bingo card and logged onto an app to answer questions about California Case Law correlating to actual California workers’ comp cases. Presenters asked questions about California workers’ compensation law, and attendees were allowed ten seconds to choose the correct answer from multiple-choice options.

Attendees entered their answers in the app for a chance to earn points and win prizes. Players who successfully achieved a bingo won prizes for the first vertical, horizontal, H, diagonal, and four corners bingo. Prizes were also awarded to the top ten trivia scores. Presenters made it fun by changing real case names and scenarios to ones based on Disney and Marvel characters. Also, two fun “lightning rounds” gave attendees the chance to earn extra points by answering questions about Disney Princesses and Marvel characters. A handout was provided so players could review the actual case laws presented during the session. The audience remained highly engaged throughout the 75-minute session.?

On Tuesday evening, attendees were invited to “The Carnivàle of Heroes,” with a dessert reception at Disney California Adventure? Park. There, conference-goers enjoyed private access to two park rides: Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout!?

The closing keynote session, delivered by Mark Pew, the Rx Professor, was titled “Covid Induced Resilience.” Pew, a well-known presenter, shared very personal stories of his struggles over the past two years, providing examples of how the pandemic tested his resilience. He reminded the audience that building resilience takes time. Pew encouraged listeners to write or update their personal mission statement and emphasized that we are likely to wander without clarity of our purpose. He also discussed how being connected to one’s purpose allows you to be more productive and compassionate to those you serve.

When asked, Pew shared? his personal mission statement, “To use who I am and what I’ve learned to help others.”?

PARMA hosted 47 sessions throughout two and a half days, with 30 sessions offering continuing education credits. Next year, PARMA’s conference is scheduled for February 7-10 at the Sacramento Convention Center.?Kudos to the entire PARMA team for a well-executed conference!