TNIPH Sponsors Regional Health Summit in West Tennessee

The Tennessee Institute of Public Health (TNIPH) sponsored the West Tennessee Regional Health Summit on Thursday, March 31, 2016 at the Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee.

The Regional Health Summit is one of fifteen health initiatives funded by the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation and the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health as part of the Healthy WEST: Working to Energize & Strengthen Tennessee program. The central purpose is to strengthen community-based efforts to improve health, wellness, and prevention by enhancing multi-sector collaboration.

Dean Randy Wykoff of the College of Public Health spoke at the event and said the physical well-being of a community fits directly in line with the health of an economy.

In speaking of the health status of people in rural west Tennessee, Dr. Wykoff explained, “The way we’re going to change it is by working together; by realizing that economic development, education, healthcare, behavior change, are all necessary to improve health in a region.”

One component of the day included mini-grants from Blue Cross Blue Shield being handed out to four organizations.

The four organizations receiving grants included the Jackson Center for Independent Living, LeBonheur Children’s Hospital, the UT Extension Office, and the Jackson-Madison County Health Department.

The summit was covered by several media outlets including WBBJ Channel 7 and The Jackson Sun.