265234 Promoting public health initiatives and legislation through targeted health screening and education of elected officials

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 : 8:50 AM - 9:10 AM

Janet Briscoe, RN, BSN, MBA , Director, Division of Epidemiology and Emergency Preparedness, Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, Charleston, WV
Rahul Gupta, MD, MPH, FACP , Chief Health Officer and Executive Director, Kanawha Charleston Health Department, Charleston, WV
The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department (KCHD) is located in the capital city of West Virginia in a medium sized county of nearly 200,000 residents. As the seat of state government, hundreds of elected officials, staffers, lobbyists and others descend upon the city every January for a 60 day legislative session. After being approached by a concerned legislator, KCHD recognized a unique opportunity to promote a health and wellness screening initiative targeting statewide elected officials. The Legislative Wellness Project provided free preventive health screens including cholesterol and blood pressure checks, cardiovascular risk assessments, and education and information on improving one's health. The project was implemented not only to give participating legislators a snapshot of their own health status, but to underline the importance of public health initiatives and legislation in a state that ranks dead last in nearly every chronic disease category. By generating public health awareness among the key decision makers in West Virginia government, KCHD demonstrated an increased effort to pass public health legislation aimed at improving the health and well-being of residents statewide. Additionally, through this program state legislators have been encouraged to promote health and wellness initiatives in their own communities by collaborating with local health departments from around the state. While the long-term impact remains to be seen, enthusiasm among the legislators and a growing recognition of the shift toward wellness and prevention has already put a number of public health related initiatives in the legislative spotlight.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the theory behind a health and wellness screening initiative targeting elected state government officials undertaken by a local health department in a state capital city. 2. Discuss strategies to improve awareness among key decision-makers of the importance of public health initiatives and enabling legislation.

Keywords: Public Health Education and Health Promotion, Public Health Legislation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Janet Briscoe is the Director of Epidemiology and Threat Preparedness at the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, having previously served as Director of Clinical Services. She received a Nursing Diploma from St. Mary's, a BSN from Marshall University, and an MBA from West Virginia University. Ms. Briscoe has also worked in public health at the state level and as a hospital nurse in the private sector.
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.