Online Program

319774
Advancing healthcare reform through a State Surgeon General model


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 9:05 a.m. - 9:40 a.m.

Kimberlydawn Wisdom, MD, MS, Executive Offices, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI

Antonia Novello, MD, United States Surgeon General, Orlando, FL

Three states have or had a State Surgeon General (SSG) position within their public health
infrastructure: Arkansas, Florida, and Michigan. Each state has used a different governance model to define the SSG scope and position. A series of key informant interviews conducted in 2014 about experiences in these three states found wide agreement that the SSG position offers considerable potential to improve the health of communities through consistent messages about public health, disease management, population health, and prevention. Equally important, an SSG can articulate a broader vision of how to manage public health entities’ roles in a transformed, post-ACA health delivery system. With esteemed moderator Dr. Antonia Novello, we propose to present findings from the abovementioned study with key informant interviews; lessons learned and recommendations from former SSGs; and results from a national convening of interested states and stakeholders who are exploring a pilot expansion of the SSG model in additional states and/or territories.

Learning Areas:

Basic medical science applied in public health
Chronic disease management and prevention
Clinical medicine applied in public health
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Provision of health care to the public
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Describe three states' Surgeon General (SSG) positions, including lessons learned and recommendations from former SSGs; Discuss findings from a study on the post of SSG; Evaluate the outcomes of a national convening of stakeholders related to expansion of the State Surgeon General model

Keyword(s): Public Health Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the former Surgeon General of the United States.
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.