In this episode of RadioRev, we sit down with Tani Hemmila, Director at the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI). We dive into the important work that ICSI is doing for behavioral health, addresses the opioid crisis, and what’s next going into 2020 for both ICSI and the Minnesota Health Collaborative.

About Tani Hemmila:

Today on RadioRev we are joined by Tani Hemmila, Director of ICSI’s Minnesota Health Collaborative, an organization comprised of healthcare leaders across Minnesota who are working to build a stronger mental health system and address suicide, reduce opioid related deaths, and integrate social needs into healthcare. With a background in business, macro social work, and mental health, Tani has developed and led many programs and initiatives at ICSI to improve systems for the health of our communities.

These include collaborations to improve care and transitions for people with health needs in emergency departments; COMPASS, a national dissemination and implementation initiative focused on improving the care of people with depression, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease; Screening, Brief intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for addressing risky substance use in primary care and for first-time DWI offenders, and Tobacco Health Systems Change. She also develops and conducts trainings and workshops on quality improvement, collaboration and teams, and motivational interviewing.

Holding a bachelor’s degree in social work from the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Hemmila obtained her master’s degree in healthcare administration and inter-professional leadership from the University of California – San Francisco. Originally from northern Minnesota, Tani is mom to four grown children and is an avid outdoors explorer, including river kayaking.