By EVMS News | Amy Matzke-Fawcett
Greater Hampton Roads Population Health Summit Addresses Political Determinants of Health
The community came together on September 24 for the annual Greater Hampton Roads Population Health Summit, “The Political Determinants of Health: Considerations for Hampton Roads,” in Waitzer Hall on Old Dominion University’s medical campus.
The hybrid event welcomed more than 200 faculty, staff and community members for discussions centered on how policy shapes healthcare decisions and to raise awareness of barriers and health disparities in the region from a variety of sectors.
In his keynote speech, Daniel Dawes, JD, founding dean of the School of Global Health and senior vice president for global health at Meharry Medical College, said, “We know health is not a static outcome, it is from cumulative effects…The benefits of interventions ripple across lifetimes.”
Dawes, author of the book “Political Determinants of Health,” discussed how political structures, laws, policy decisions and governance helped shape health inequities that can be seen in Hampton Roads and across the United States.
William Hazel Jr., MD, former secretary of health and human resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia and current CEO of Claude Moore Opportunities, expanded on these ideas in his presentation, “State and Regional Perspective on Health in All Policies,” sharing his perspective on how Medicaid expansion, quality of care and public health funding directly and indirectly influence patient health and healthcare delivery.
A robust healthcare workforce is important to address differences in health outcomes and gaps in services, he said.
“We need to build resilience between communities,” Dr. Hazel said, noting that school programs and after-school care can be particularly impactful, along with addiction recovery services for families to combat Virginia’s opioid epidemic.
Attendees also learned about the state and regional viewpoints on “Health in All Policies,” an approach that focuses on how public policy at multiple levels influences health outcomes, healthcare delivery and the health workforce. This included a panel discussion titled “Sector Perspectives on Health in All Policies.”
The panel explored health from private and public sector perspectives and was moderated by Brett Sierra, D.H.Sc., M.P.H., associate professor and director of the Master of Public Health program — part of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Joint School of Public Health, an academic partnership between Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University.
Panelists included Tawana Fortune, supervisor of student support in Chesapeake Public Schools, representing education; Chris Tan, president and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia & the Eastern Shore, speaking from the food and nutrition sector; and Nathan Simms, executive director of the Norfolk Redevelopment & Housing Authority, covering community housing issues.
While the event provides time to discuss population health issues, it is not a conversation that should be held just once a year, said Cynthia Romero, MD (MD ’93), director of the M. Foscue Brock Institute for Community and Global Health and professor of Family & Community Medicine for Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Eastern Virginia Medical School at ODU. In her closing remarks, she encouraged attendees to keep the conversations going.
"By collectively advocating for prevention, early detection, building relationships, providing information and education and working to have access available to everyone, we are sharing awareness within our communities of how to stay healthy and well,” Dr. Romero said. “In order for us to build the systems of care and foster the policies to lift everyone, we must get the input and insights from all sectors and perspectives to shape those efforts in the most meaningful, effective ways and impactful ways.”
The event was a collaboration between the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences M. Foscue Brock Institute for Community and Global Health at Old Dominion University, the Joint School of Public Health at Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University, Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Bon Secours, Health Chesapeake, the Center for Public Health Initiatives at Norfolk State University and the Virginia Department of Health.
View photos from the event.