226181 Practice, Progress, and Promise of a state Surgeon General: The Florida Experience

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 12:50 PM - 1:10 PM

Ana Viamonte Ros, MD, MPH , State Surgeon General, Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
In early 2007, Florida's newly-elected Governor Charlie Crist, acting on recommendations from a citizen advisory group and other statewide stakeholders, established the post of State Surgeon General for Florida. Initial recommendations suggested this position serve as a public health advocate, external to the management of the Florida Department of Health. Additionally, these recommendations included retaining the position of Secretary of Health, as a, “CEO type with a strong internal organizational focus.” In this presentation, Ana M. Viamonte Ros, M.D., M.P.H., Florida's first-ever State Surgeon General, will discuss the successes and challenges of serving as not only the state's leading public health advocate, but also as the operational head of the 16,000-employee Florida Department of Health.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the factors leading to the formation of the Surgeon General post in Florida 2. Describe the organization and operations of the Surgeon General post in Florida 3. Discuss the outcomes for the state of Florida of having a state-level Surgeon General.

Keywords: Public Health Infrastructure, Leadership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am Florida's first State Surgeon General and the first woman and Cuban American to serve as head of the Department. Governor Crist has charged the Surgeon General to act as the state's leading advocate for wellness and disease prevention.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4171.0: Health Reform and the Changing Role of the Public Health System-The Experience of Arkansas, Florida, and Michigan