Ms. Alisa West Cahill, LSW is a licensed social worker with an administrative specialty. Her education and skill set encompass program development, prioritizing data-driven policy and practice, and transdisciplinary collaboration. She leads the Division of Aging Services at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. This Division is home to the Behavioral Health Forum on Aging, which seeks to collaboratively design and implement an age-informed standard and system of care for the older adults of today and tomorrow. In 2016, the Network for Social Work Management selected Alisa as a Senior Policy Fellow for her work in aging.**********************************Ms. West Cahill is a professional working in the field of healthcare and behavioral health, with a focus on integrated care and support for the healthcare workforce. She is associated with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the University of Oklahoma, and she is an advocate for #HealthyAging and #SubstanceUseDisorder prevention.*********************************She has had the opportunity to work primarily with, and/or on the behalf of, older adults & respective caregivers as well as w/ people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. My path began about 25 years ago as a new MSW at the Community Council of Central Oklahoma. This role included leading the collaborative efforts w/incredible stakeholders of the homelessness services sector & resulted in Oklahoma City being one of the early HUD Continuum of Care Communities to implement a Homeless Management Information System. Further, we were able to propel OKC to a pivotal leadership role w/in the then emerging National Human Services Data Consortium. In 2010 my work turned toward specializing in aging, including work at a Veterans Center & providing legislative testimony along with the NASW-OK Exec. Director focused on promoting enhanced living experiences & Family Council development w/in nursing home settings. More recently, & from its inception in 2016, I served as the lead of the Positive Aging Initiative at the Zarrow School of Social Work's Knee Center for Strong Families, now Ruth (and Jr.) Knee Institute for Transformative Scholarship. This Initiative engaged in original research, dissemination, & practice development central to inter-professional workforce competencies that promote the opportunity for older adults to experience positive health & well-being. A highlight was the collaborative development & expansion of an Inter-Professional Positive Aging Continuing Education Track, which was scaled to deliver content recognized by multiple licensure boards & attended by professionals & advocates representing diverse disciplines. I have had the privilege of working w/ stakeholders from multiple jurisdictions, states, & the province of Alberta & have provided an array of presentations at the local, state, national, & international level, many of which highlight the importance of data-driven & inclusive practice. I'm thrilled to share I am now the Aging Services Project Manager w/ the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services, where I get to continue the essential work of collaboration, partnership, & capacity development to help ensure all Oklahomans have an opportunity to experience health & well-being as we age. Lastly, as a volunteer over the last 3 decades, I've been granted a range of experiences including being a founding board member of the Central Oklahoma Human Rights Alliance, serving on the NASW-OK nursing home reform ad-hoc committee, & am a member of the Medical Reserve Corps.
