The Georgia Public Health Training Center at the University of Georgia's College of Public Health will host the inaugural The State of Public Health Conference March 21 at the UGA Hotel and Conference Center.

Influential leaders from a variety of sectors and disciplines committed to improving the health of residents across the state will be in attendance, including DPH Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., the conference's plenary speaker. The meeting aims to move past the issues of the day by bringing public health professionals together for a practical discussion about public health in Georgia.

"I think it's very important for all of us to understand the challenges we face in Georgia," Fitzgerald said. "This conference will do that and allow us to take a close look at how much progress we've made in just a couple of years."

The keynote address will be given by Tyler Norris, vice president of Total Health Partnerships at Kaiser Permanente. As a member of the Community Benefit, Research and Health Policy team, Norris helps implement Kaiser Permanente's aspiration for the complete physical, mental and social well-being of its members, workforce and communities through services and clinical, educational, environmental and social actions that promote the health of all people. He also leads Kaiser Permanente's portfolio of integrated physical activity and active transportation initiatives.

Several interactive, solution-driven workshops tackling a variety of key public health issues in the state are planned. The workshops will focus on integrating continuous quality improvement practices into public health, the accreditation process for public health districts, how to engage communities to improve health, ways to use social media to reduce tobacco usage and strengthening the relationship between primary care and public health.

The goal is to use the dialogue from these workshops to craft an actionable plan that would improve the health and well-being of all Georgians.

"We know that the population health status of Georgians living across this great state is not what it could be, and the public health indicators in Georgia show persistent challenges as indicated by our high rates of chronic disease, obesity and smoking," said Marsha Davis, the director of the Georgia Public Health Training Center and associate dean for outreach and engagement in the College of Public Health. "At the same time, Georgia has many assets. At this conference, we want to acknowledge our challenges and transcend them by leveraging our assets. We know where we are, so the most important thing is figuring out what we can do, collaboratively, that will improve health outcomes for all Georgians."

Registration for the conference is free and, though geared to public health professionals, is open to the public. For more information, please visit www.gaphtc.uga.edu/soph.

Editor's Note: Media interested in attending and covering the State of Public Health Conference should register by contacting Johnathan McGinty at jmcginty@jacksonspalding.com.

-Story by DPH Communications