|
Welcome to Texas Health Institute
We are pleased to provide you with the July issue of the Texas Health Institute Newsletter.
Texas Health Institute (THI) is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, independent organization serving as an honest broker of information to promote dialogue among all healthcare stakeholders and to enable policymakers to more thoroughly explore health policy issues and make informed decisions.
In this issue, we provide you with an update on several exciting events scheduled for the coming weeks. We also take a few moments to remember our beloved Dr. Bernstein, who passed away on July 23, 2007. Dr. Bernstein was a close friend and colleague. He did so much for us all, and I will personally miss him and his sage advice. Lately, I treated each meeting with him as a precious time that could be the last. He admonished me not to be mushy or to dote on him, but to "see that public health gets taken care of in this state!" That was Bob, always putting himself behind the best interest of the people. He was my friend, my mentor and my confidant. The world is a better place because he was here.
Sincerely,
Camille D. Miller
|
|
Remembering Dr. Bernstein
On July 24, 2007, the Texas Health Institute hosted a gathering for friends of Major General Robert Bernstein, MD at the Headliners Club in Austin, Texas to share stories and reminiscence on his life. Originally scheduled as a fundraising event to honor Dr. Bernstein, THI cancelled the event but elected to host this special evening so that Dr. Bernstein's longtime friends would have an opportunity to share their memories. Attendees were treated with entertaining recollections of Dr. Bernstein and the many people he touched in his life.
Dr. Bernstein passed away on July 23, 2007. He served on the Texas Health Institute board of trustees and executive committee. He dedicated his life to public service through both his military career and his public health work. Dr. Bernstein was a champion in giving back to his country, state and community in both his professional and personal life. We are grateful to have had the privilege to have known and worked with him. For more information on Dr. Bernstein and his life, please go to http://www.texashealthinstitute.org . |
Institute to Co-Sponsor Southern Obesity Summit
The Texas Health Institute will be a co-sponsor of the upcoming Southern Regional Health Consortium's (SHRC) Southern Obesity Summit scheduled for August 26th through August 28th, 2007 at The Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas. The summit will focus on obesity prevention policy and practice in the South. State delegations of leaders from 13 Southern states including Texas will participate in an exchange of ideas, lessons learned and inspirations of practice that will encourage obesity prevention efforts.
Scheduled speakers for the event include:
- Keynote Speaker - Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, President/CEO, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Nisha Botchwey, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, University of Virginia
- Helle Burlingame, MA, Director, Kompan Play Institute
- Larry Cohen, MSW, Executive Director, The Prevention Institute
- Janet L. Collins, PhD, Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Sharon Dickerson, Director, Arkansas Employee Benefits
- Ginny Ehrlich, MPH, MS, Director, School Initiatives, Alliance for a Healthier Generation
- Becky Fortenbury, Supervisor, Health Improvement, Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield
- Robert Harrison, Executive Director, Alliance for a Healthier Generation
- Katherine Kaufer Christoffel, MD, MPH, Founder, Medical and Research Director, Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children
- Steven Kelder, PhD, MPH, Director, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, The Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living
- Jeff Levi, PhD, Executive Director, Trust for America's Health
- Camille D. Miller, President/CEO, Texas Health Institute
- Marcia Ory, PhD, MPH, Director, National Program Office, Active for Life, Texas A&M Health Science Center
- Eduardo Sanchez, MD, MPH, Director, Institute for Health Policy, The University of Texas School of Public Health
- Steve Shelton, MBA, PA-C, SHRC Chair and Assistant Vice President for Community Outreach Program Director, East Texas AHEC Office of Community Health Services University of Texas Medical Branch
- Joe Thompson, MD, MPH, Arkansas Surgeon General and Executive Director, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
- Buddy Villines, JD, Pulaski County Judge, Pulaski County, Arkansas
- Melicia Whitt-Glover, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Other sponsors of the summit are:
- Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
- Association for Community Health Improvement
- Directors of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
- The Michael and Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living
- National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
- National Society of Physical Activity Practitioners in Public Health
- Prevention Institute
- HOPSports
- The Institute for Health Policy at The University of Texas School of Public Health
- Whole Foods Market
- Kompan Play Institute
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arkansas
- American Heart Association of Arkansas
For information on the Summit please contact Liza Creel at 512.279.3906 or email lcreel@texashealthinstitute.org.
|
|
Miller Nominated for 2007 Health Care Heroes Award
Camille D. Miller, THI President & CEO, was recently nominated for the Austin Business Journal Health Care Heroes Award. Health Care Heroes honors individuals, organizations and companies for their contributions to improving healthcare in Central Texas. Health Care Hero nominees and winners will be recognized at an awards breakfast on August 17th.
Congratulations Camille!
For more information on the event please go to:
|
Bexar County Safety Net Community Collaborative
On July 26, 2007, THI representatives met with the members of the Bexar County Safety Net Community Collaborative in San Antonio, Texas. The Bexar County collaborative is one of eight communities that has been selected to be a prototype for mental health transformation at the local level. Bexar County has a long and successful history with collaborative efforts. Their collaborative members work together to resolve challenges for mental health services consumers in Bexar County and to expand their collaborative efforts through innovative uses of technology including data sharing and information technology resource sharing.
Participants in the meeting included:
- Camille D. Miller, THI President & CEO
- Nancy Speck, THI Consultant, Mental Health Transformation
- Valarie Garza, THI Consumer Coordinator
- Vijay Ganju, Project Director, Mental Health Transformation
- Amy Guthrie, Bexar County, Data Analyst, Data Sub-Group, Community Medical Directors Roundtable
- Jeanie Paradise, Bexar County, Director, Crisis Care Clinic, Crisis Services, Jail Diversion Oversite Committee
- Terrie Mabrito, Bexar County, Children's Diversion Facilitator, Judges Diversion Collaboration
- Gilbert Gonzales, Bexar County, Chief, Development and Community Action, Center for Health Care Services
- Paul Sisler, Bexar County, Director, Information Services, CHCS, Technology Liaison, Jail Diversion Oversite Committee
This initiative is part of a statewide effort related to mental health transformation which emphasizes early intervention and coordination of services across multiple state and local agencies. This statewide initiative is fundedby the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and sponsored by Governor Rick Perry. THI was a co-applicant with the State competing with 40 other states to receive one of the nine grants.
|
Genetics and Ethics in the 21st Century Conference
On July 20 & 21, 2007, Camille D. Miller and Joyce Hooker, THI consultant and associate project director for the Mountain States Regional Collaborative Grant, attended the 12th Annual Genetics and Ethics in the 21st Century Conference titled "DNA Identification and the Law: New Horizons and Outer Limits". Presented by the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center's Center for Bioethics and Humanities and the Center for Genetic Research Ethics and Law, the conference addressed current ethical and legal issues related to human genetics. The focus of this year's conference was the ethical impact that current and emerging forensic genetic and DNA database practices are expected to have on the criminal justice system, the individual and the society. |
Director of SAMHSA to Speak at Mental Health Transformation Symposium
In its continued work under the Texas Mental Health Transformation Initiative under the Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant (MHTSIG), the Texas Health Institute has organized and will provide support for A Meeting of the Minds, A Texas Mental Health Transformation Symposium. This dynamic five-day event will be held Wednesday, August 15th through Sunday, August 19th, 2007.
The 2007 Symposium will feature national keynote speakers on mental health transformation. Kathryn Power, MEd, Director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) will speak to the role of the consumer and community collaboratives in Texas mental health transformation. Ron Manderscheid, PhD, Director of Mental Health and Substance Use Programs for Constella Group and former Chief of Survey Analysis for the Center for Mental Health Services, will share his perspective on national transformation efforts and the 2005 Institute of Medicine (IOM) mental health report. Both Power and Manderscheid are recognized as architects of change, revolutionizing the federal mental health agenda.
The symposium's theme, A Meeting of the Minds, underscores the important role collaboration plays in mental health transformation. The invitational symposium will bring together transformation partners representing community collaboratives working on local transformation initiatives, consumer and family leaders in the area of consumer-directed services, state and national mental health transformation experts, and state policy decision-makers.
The first two days of the Symposium (August 15 and 16) will focus on MHTSIG-funded community collaboratives' plans for transforming mental health systems and services at the community level. Presentations will include question and answer periods and feedback from a national advisory panel. August 17 through 19 will focus on consumer and family member topics: peer-to-peer learning, peer support certification, and the consumer role in Texas mental health transformation at the state and local levels.
Special thanks go to the following THI team members who have designed, planned and implemented this important meeting:
Nancy Speck, PhD, THI Consultant, Assistant Project Director and Principal Investigator for Mental Health Transformation
Valarie Garza, THI Consumer Coordinator
Julia Alejandre, THI Consultant, Mental Health Transformation
Dana Birnberg, THI Consultant, Mental Health Transformation
Amanda Conway, THI Program Coordinator
Michelle Smith, THI Consultant, Mental Health Transformation
For additional information, please contact Amanda Conway at 512.279.3907 or aconway@texashealthinstitute.org.
|
National Network of Public Health Institutes Meeting
On July 23, 2007, Camille D. Miller conducted her first board meeting as chair of the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI). In addition to addressing some bylaw changes, the board agreed to focus on implementation of the three strategic plan goals:
- Foster high performing public health institutes within states and selected regions.
- Maintain a national network that effectively supports the establishment and growth of state and regional public health institutes.
- Improve the public's health through selected strategic initiatives that capitalize on the unique characteristics and potential of public health institutes and our national network.
|
|
CDC Selects THI for Pilot Project
The Texas Health Institute received approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement a pilot project to demonstrate a public health institute's efficacy as a change agent. CDC has selected Arkansas, California and Texas to test this project. |
On July 12-14, 2007, the Mountain States Genetics Regional Collaborative Center (MSGRCC) held its annual conference in Denver, Colorado. This conference was intended to encourage education, planning and implementation preparation. It was cosponsored by the Mountain States Genetics Foundation (MSGF). Conference presenters included:
· John Johnson, M.D.
· Laura Pickler, M.D.
· Murray Brilliant, Ph.D.
· Mike Watson, Ph.D.
· Vivian Ota-Wang, Ph.D.
· Piero Rinaldo, M.D., Ph.D.
· Jeff Botkin, M.D., M.P.H.
· Nicola Longo, M.D., Ph.D.
· Janet Thomas, M.D.
· Kathryn Hassell, M.D.
· Marci Sontag, Ph.D.
· Jan Lowrey, Ph.D.
· Sarah Hartway
· Marzia Pasquali, Ph.D.
· Robin Temple-Smolkin, Ph.D.
· Marc Williams, M.D.
· Sharon Milligan, R.N.
· Henry Clamen, M.D.
· Marilyn Coors, Ph.D.
· Randi Hagerman, M.D.
· Paul Hagerman, M.D., Ph.D.
A preview of the conference evaluations reveals a very successful meeting. There were approximately 150 attendees representing all eight states in the region and at least fifteen disciplines.
During the conference, the MSGRCC convened its committees for strategic planning meetings. Breakout sessions were also designed around topical areas the region will be exploring and addressing. The outcomes of these meetings will provide direction and focus for the current grant cycle. To see the complete agenda and PowerPoint presentations from the conference, go to http://www.mostgene.org.
THI serves as the grant administrator for the Mountain State Genetics Regional Collaborative Center (MSGRCC). The purpose of the MSGRCC is to collaborate for the purpose of ensuring that individuals with heritable disorders and their families have access to quality care and appropriate genetic expertise and information in the context of a medical home. |
Miller Attends Bullock Celebration
Camille D. Miller attended the annual Bob Bullock birthday party on July 10, 2007. This is an event where former Comptroller and Lt. Governor Bullock's staffers gather to share Bullock stories and catch up with each other. |
| THI Announces Memorial and Honor Giving Program
The Texas Health Institute is pleased to announce the establishment of our Memorial and Honor Giving Program. This programprovides an opportunity for supporting THI's work to improve the health of Texans and their communities by honoring the memory of a loved one or a deceased colleague. It is also a means for honoring a living person on a birthday, anniversary, retirement, or other special occasion. When you make a donation, the person you designate receives a memorial / tribute card indicating that a contribution has been made to the Texas Health Institute in memory / honor of the identified person and, as appropriate, the occasion.
To contribute to the Memorial and Honor Giving Program please go to:
For information on this program and other ways you can support the Texas Health Institute, please contact Lenora Doerfler at 512.279.3910 or email her at ldoerfler@texashealthinstitute.org.
|
| Board of Trustees Meet in August
On July 25, 2007, the Texas Health Institute board of trustees met at the Signature Science Building in Austin, Texas. In addition to regular business items, board members received a briefing on the status of the Mental Health Transformation grant.
|
| About the Texas Health Institute
Our mission is to provide leadership to improve the health of Texans and their communities through education, research, and health policy development.
Senior Editor: Camille D Miller
Editor: Delia Presley
The Texas Health Institute (THI) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on the development of health policy solutions to improve the lives of Texans and their communities. From acting as an honest broker and hosting unbiased health policy forums that facilitate dialogue among policymakers and other healthcare stakeholders, to creating a vision of an improved future healthcare system, THI is a think tank - providing evidence-based policy options and solutions as well as innovative, "outside the box" collaborative options to improve the health of Texans and their communities.
The THI newsletter is a monthly publication of the Texas Health Institute written to update Institute board of trustee members and Friends of the Institute.
For e-mail address changes, add or delete requests, please e-mail your request to:
dpresley@texashealthinstitute.org
If you would prefer to receive this newsletter through the U.S. mail or fax, please e-mail your contact information to:
dpresley@texashealthinstitute.org
If you would prefer not to receive further messages from this sender, please contact us at:
delete@texashealthinstitute.org
| |
|
|
Camille Miller
President/CEO
_______________
________________
Meeting of the Minds:
MHT Symposium for Community Collaboratives and Consumers
________________
Focused Forum: Taking the Case for the Mental Health Transformation to Communities
______________
Southern Obesity Summit-Sponsored by Southern Regional Health Consortium
It is now easier than ever to
become a Friend.
THI can now accept credit
cards. For more information
on the
Friends of the Institute
program, go to:
or e-mail
|
|
