January 2017

NashvilleHealth Welcomes Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to Nashville

Among all of the organizations tracking and taking action to improve our national health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is tops on the list.

At NashvilleHealth’s Steering Committee meeting in December, we had the honor of hosting Dr. John Lumpkin, senior vice president at RWJF.

Lumpkin shared some of the Foundation’s findings on the state of health and the health care system in the U.S. The Foundation keeps up on the data surrounding the nation’s health here, and Metro Public Health Department is also chronicling Nashville’s stats here. This data tracking and measurement is a critical step in closing gaps and helping the city be healthier. Lumpkin and his colleagues, Paul Kuehnert and Hilary Heishman, also met with several Nashville leaders who showcased the city’s efforts to create a culture of health.

At the December meeting, we also welcomed three new Steering Committee members, including Tom Starling of Mental Health America of Middle Tennessee, John Chobanian of HealthierTN, and Michele Williams, MD, of Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center.

Lastly, several partners shared updates about efforts in our three missional areas of focus: child health, hypertension and smoking cessation. Visit our blog for a quick recap of discussion points, and let us know if you want to Get Involved in any of these areas.

February is Quittin’ Time Month!

With just days to go until February’s Quittin’ Time Week – February 13 to 17 – NashvilleHealth and partners around the state are gearing up for a focused effort to help Tennesseans quit using tobacco.

The ramifications are endless: did you know that a smoker who quits starts to feel healthier within days? With our city’s adult smoking rate at 21% – a far cry from the CDC’s goal level of 12% – we have so much ground to cover in moving that statistic and, most importantly, helping our citizens live longer, healthier lives with their families.

Here’s a roundup of just a few Quittin’ Time initiatives taking place in February:

• In mid-February, Sen. Bill Frist, Dept. of Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, and HealthierTN CEO Rick Johnson will co-host an event featuring the latest in our state’s efforts to curb tobacco use.
• Many NashvilleHealth partners are using social media to offer resources for people to quit. NashvilleHealth’s partner list is here!
• As always, the Tennessee Tobacco Quitline is open via phone and 24/7 online. A wide array of resources, tips and ideas are there – including a calculator that shows how much money a smoker can save by quitting!
• NashvilleHealth and partners Vanderbilt University Medical Center as well as others, are seeing success in policies that help those who want to quit. We are particularly encouraged by TennCare’s move to exempt proven cessation drugs from monthly drug limits for enrollees. TennCare recently approved this change, and the new policy is now in effect, broadening access for those who want to quit. With annual health care costs to the state of more than $2.6 billion due to smoking, increasing access to cessation aids is vital to improving population health and reducing long-term spending.

More information to come on our website. Watch our social media properties for launch date and let us know if your organization wants to add a resource.

ON THE BLOG

“If this past year proved to be a landmark for NashvilleHealth, the coming year is the next step in a journey to be a partner in moving our entire city forward,” says NashvilleHealth Executive Director Caroline Young in our latest blog recapping 2016 and looking forward to 2017. Our focus is clear on measurement and action. A full recap is on our blog.

Dr. Joseph Webb, D.Sc., MSHA, FACHE and CEO of Nashville General Hospital, has joined the Board. Dr. Webb is a strong addition to our team of advisors and leaders who are guiding our efforts to create a community-wide culture of health. Read more here.

PARTNER NEWS & EVENTS

Siloam Health celebrated 25 years of serving the health of Nashville and the nations with a gala, the accolades of many leaders, and a new look. You can read more about their celebration here. (Nashville Business Journal)

The Interfaith Dental Clinic does amazing work that truly impacts lives, including this story about a cancer survivor. (Tennessean)

Mental Health America of Middle Tennessee is hosting a workshop on Incarceration & Behavioral Health on February 21, featuring the nationally recognized model of “recovery instead of incarceration.” Registration is here.

On March 31, Meharry Medical College Masters in Public Health Program, TSU School of Nursing, and many community partners will host Baby University 2017, a community health resource fair for new and expecting families, held downtown in the atrium of the TSU Avon WIlliams Campus.

Mark your calendars for the YMCA’s chronic disease prevention summit on May 2. Details to come.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Sen. Frist recently told the story of how NashvilleHealth came to be in a post for Health Affairs.

Sen. Frist shared the business impact that healthier foods make, thanks to Americans making a way of life out of eating better. (Forbes.com)

We applaud the strides made in Shelby County, which achieved its lowest infant mortality rate on record last year. (USA TODAY Network)