National public health expert to speak in Bristol on Aug. 8 with the accountable care community
As the region’s Accountable Care Community (ACC) concludes its first year, its leadership is hosting a free event for the public on Thursday, Aug. 8, to learn more about regional population health endeavors.
Dr. Joe Smyser, CEO of The Public Good Projects, a national nonprofit organization that specializes in large-scale community health programs, will deliver the keynote presentation at the meeting, which is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. at Bristol Regional Medical Center.
Smyser, who is nationally recognized for his work in the intersection of public health and marketing, develops and implements innovative communication strategies to create health improvement across communities. Earlier this summer, he met with community-based organizations in the ACC’s 21-county region spanning Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, and he now returns to share how local efforts can leverage successful, established programs from across the country to pair with and guide their current work.
The ACC is a collaborative group with the goal to transform the health of this region. It consists of more than 200 individual organizations with more than 250 representatives who have joined forces to improve community health, knowing to do so involves efforts aimed at educational success and economic opportunity.
“Those who join us on Aug. 8 will see the hard work the ACC has accomplished during the last year and, more importantly, learn about the strategic initiatives emerging from our collaborative work,” said Dr. Paula Masters, Ballad Health’s vice president of health programs. “There will be the opportunity to meet other organizations working in the same space, and our ACC Leadership Council will be there to help introduce and connect those who might currently have shared goals.
“We welcome any organization that would like to join the ACC and answer questions to help them get involved in the working partnerships.”
A formalized partnership of Ballad Health, Healthy Kingsport and the United Way of Southwest Virginia serves as the backbone of the Accountable Care Community, which uses the collective impact model to align the efforts of all sectors of a community or region to accomplish shared objectives.
There are, by some estimates, as few as 31 formal Accountable Care Communities in the United States. The one led by Ballad Health, Healthy Kingsport and the United Way of Southwest Virginia is the first of its kind for Tennessee and Virginia together, unique in the nation due to its operations spanning two states.
Healthy Kingsport and the United Way of Southwest Virginia facilitate the Accountable Care Community’s efforts and help to spearhead its work. Ballad Health and its department of population health co-lead and support the ACC. The leadership council, comprised of 24 regional, multi-sector leaders, helps set direction and aligns focus overall and within sectors – such as education, business and community organizations – with every member organization having a unique role.
To learn more about the ACC or the event, please contact paula.masters@balladhealth.org or call (423) 302-3085.
