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Posted
October 11, 2024
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hpio news

HPIO hosts inaugural Health Policy Summit

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Pictured from left to right: Angela Dawson, Executive Director, Ohio Commission on Minority Health; LeeAnne Cornyn, Director, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; Jim Tassie, Director of Managed Care, Ohio Department of Medicaid; Kara Wente, Director, Ohio Department of Children and Youth; Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Director, Ohio Department of Health; Amy Rohling McGee, President, Health Policy Institute of Ohio. Photo credit: Ian Alexander Photography

HPIO hosted its inaugural statewide Health Policy Summit on Oct. 3 in Columbus, Ohio.
 
The Summit theme was “Partnering to improve health, well-being and economic vitality,” creating an opportunity to bring together leaders from across the state to learn about and advance policy solutions that will address Ohio’s greatest health challenges.

Dr. Dave Chokshi, a professor at City College of New York and Chair of the Common Health Coalition gave a keynote address on “Healing our Rifts: A Vision for Health Justice.” Dr. Sheri Johnson, Director of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and County Health Rankings & Roadmaps gave a plenary address on the “Structural Drivers of Health.”
 
The 247 attendees at the event participated in breakout sessions that included leaders from throughout Ohio presenting on topics related to behavioral health promotion and prevention, population health equity, and healthcare system and spending. The event also included workshops focused on using evaluation to move toward equity, using data and evidence tools and amplifying community voice for advocacy.
 
The event culminated with a panel of state agency leaders (pictured above) discussing the work their agencies are doing to break down silos and partner to address the greatest health challenges facing Ohio. The panel was facilitated by Angela Dawson, Executive Director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health and included LeeAnne Cornyn, Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; Jim Tassie, Director of Managed Care at the Ohio Department of Medicaid; Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Director of the Ohio Department of Health; and Kara Wente, Director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth.
 
"The challenges that face Ohio have to be solved by all of us, all working as a team," Director Vanderhoff said during the panel discussion. "You can go down the list of challenges, but as long as we look at those challenges as someone else's problem or responsibility, we're not going to be successful."
 
Dawson closed the Summit with remarks that reinforced the importance of partnerships. "If you want to go fast, go alone,” she said. “If you want to go far, go together."
 
Presentation slides, photos from the event and other information is available here.