Nancy Anness, Vice President of Advocacy, Access and Community Outreach at Saint Thomas Health in Nashville, in the Ascension Tennessee Ministry Market, recently helped coordinate a community session on public health.
Nancy was a member of the planning committee for a visit by Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, M.Sc., Acting Assistant Secretary for Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for a community-wide session on Public Health 3.0 at the Metropolitan Nashville Health Department.
Nancy also helped coordinate the two panel discussions, which touched on building multi-sector collaborations and social determinants of health.
At the event, which drew more than 200 attendees, including many from Saint Thomas Health, Dr. DeSalvo outlined the Public Health 3.0 vision, which challenges business and community leaders, state lawmakers, and federal policymakers to incorporate health into all areas of governance. It encourages businesses to engage in community health, and for public health professionals to take on more dynamic roles as civic leaders.
The full vision of Public Health 3.0 is still being developed, but it centers around population health and decreasing barriers to care, in alignment with Ascension's Vision.
Nashville is one of five cities selected to hold the listening sessions for local healthcare leaders, community members and business leaders. Once all sessions are complete, findings shared in the meetings across the nation will be discussed at a wrap-up meeting in Washington, D.C.
"We were very honored that Nashville was chosen," Nancy said. "It was a tremendous success."
Photo: Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, M.Sc., Acting Assistant Secretary for Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Karen Springer, Senior Vice President, Ascension Health/Tennessee Ministry Market Executive; Nashville Mayor Megan Barry; and William S. Paul, MD, MPH, Director of the Metro Public Health Department of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, attend a community session on Public Health 3.0.
