Six Things to do in Seattle around NatCon17

If you’re headed to Seattle for the 2017 National Council for Behavioral Health NatCon Conference, you’re in for a treat. This year promises fresh insight into the latest in behavioral health, from clinical insight to health IT to the latest perspective on the shifting regulatory landscape. Plus: Seattle’s a great city to visit. You can view the full conference schedule here – and if you’re looking for tips on what else to do while there, here are a few recommendations in and around downtown Seattle.

Swing by and see us at booth #619!

Chihuly Out

You’re probably familiar with Dale Chihuly’s work. The renowned glass artist has a world-class display in the shadow of the Space Needle—Chihuly Garden and Glass. If you need a creative respite during the conference, this might be just the place. If you decide to check it out, you can buy your tickets ahead of time online.

A Walk in Olympic Sculpture Park

If the weather’s cooperating and you’re looking for fresh air, take a stroll in the park. Part of the Seattle Art Museum, Olympic Sculpture Park is free and open to the public – and it’s only about a mile and a half from the conference. Monumental sculptures and the coastline location make it a favorite for gaining a little fresh perspective.

Snag Some Coffee

Seattle is indeed the birthplace of Starbucks—but the area around the convention center has lots to offer if you’d like to try some other local coffee. Within three blocks you can find:

• Anchorhead, specializing in cold-brew (and bottled) coffee.
• The Pine St. (one block up from Pike St.) location of Caffe Ladro, a longtime local café and roaster.
• Espresso Caffe Diorr. A longtime local shop – located right inside the convention center.

Depending where you’re staying, your hotel might have great coffee too. And once you’ve picked up your coffee, tea, or juice of choice…

Swing by and visit us

This year we’ll be at booth #619 in the exhibition hall. Hot topics for us at NatCon 17 include:

• How to turn unpaid self-pay balances into retroactive Medicaid reimbursement – and strengthen Medicaid revenue overall.
• The behavioral-health redesign taking place (or in the works) in states across the US – and what providers can learn from the states that have already undertaken the effort.
• How your organization can leverage electronic value-based-care screenings to streamline care monitoring—and how the same technology can improve detection and flagging of behavioral-health concerns in a primary or integrated care setting.

National Council Film Festival

In addition to the exhibition floor and educational sessions, NatCon will play host to a film festival highlighting the stories and voices from the world of behavioral health. In their words, “feature films and documentaries that inspire you, make you think, and remind you why you went into mental health and substance use care.”

There’s a great lineup this year – and the films are screened in the convention center, making it easy to fit a viewing in along with your other NatCon must-sees.

Sound Lab, Rock, Sci-Fi and Fantasy – Housed by Gehry

The MoPOP building (designed by Frank Gehry) holds the Museum of Pop Culture. MoPOP is made up of rotating and permanent exhibitions, including the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Hall of Fame and The Art of Rube Goldberg (the namesake of the unnecessarily, humorously complex process or machine).

Also on offer at MoPOP: a deep dive into Star Trek, and studios where you can jam with fellow NatCon attendees (or on your own). For architecture buffs, the building itself stands out among Seattle’s other iconic structures.

See you in Seattle!

Altruis will be at booth #619.