Over 200 community members gathered to hear a series of presentations about the health
status of northeast Tennessee. The TriCities Community Health Forum was sponsored
by ETSU and the Tennessee Business Roundtable, and co-hosted by the Tennessee Institute
of Public Health, located at the ETSU College of Public
Health.
The group was welcomed by ETSU President Brian Noland who introduced the keynote speaker,
Jerry Caldwell, CEO, Bristol Motor Speedway. Both spoke of the overwhelming importance
of improving the
health status of the region. Dr. Randy Wykoff, Dean of the College of Public Health,
then presented data
on the health status of the region, and spoke about the importance of joining together
efforts related to economic development, expanding educational achievement, and providing
quality healthcare.
A panel discussion, exploring the impact of poor health in the region, followed. Panelists included:
· Ms. Linda Buck, President and CEO, Rural Health Consortium
· Dr. Amanda Dove, Physician, Wellmont Health System, Rogersville
· Mr. Mark Kinser, Executive Vice President, General Shale
· Mitch Miller, CEO , Washington County Economic Development Council
· Perry Stuckey, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Eastman
Chemical Company
Following the panel, the audience heard three presentations about steps that should
be
taken to improve health in the region. Speakers were:
· Mr. Rick Johnson, CEO, Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness
· Dr. Teresa Kidd, CEO, Frontier Health
· Mr. Richard Venable, Sullivan County Mayor
The event ended with Alan Levine, CEO, Mountain States Health Alliance, who
addressed the overall challenge that poor health poses to the region.