Building on the
April 13 State of Our Health Summit in Indianapolis, the Alliance for a
Healthier Indiana’s 17-stop
State of Our Health Road Show engaged more than 200 health, business, and
community leaders during stops in East Chicago,
Gary, and South Bend last week. Each town hall meeting focused on the
fight to improve Indiana’s poor health rankings, particularly in the areas of
tobacco use, opioid abuse, obesity, and infant mortality.
Leaders from a number of IHA-member hospitals discussed
how they are working with their communities and collaborating with other
organizations to improve Hoosier health. In East Chicago, Michael Meska, administrative
director for respiratory therapy with Franciscan Alliance, highlighted the work
of two local tobacco coalitions and partnerships across hospital and school
systems to combat both adult and youth tobacco use. At
the Gary town hall, Methodist Hospitals President and CEO Raymond Grady told
other health care leaders in the audience, "We may compete for
market share, but when it comes to improving health, it will take a committed
and concerted effort." At the South Bend town hall, Kreg Gruber, CEO of
Beacon Health System and IHA chairman, noted the importance of investing more
in health education for kids, and Saint Joseph Health System Tobacco Education
Coordinator Latorya Greene highlighted the need for persistence and discussed
how the city's smoke-free law was six years in the making.
The
mayors of all three cities issued proclamations in support of the events,
calling for expanded public health spending and strong partnerships for health.
Click to read the full recaps for East
Chicago, Gary,
South
Bend, and all the May
town halls. Thank you to Beacon Health System, Franciscan Alliance, and
Saint Joseph Health System for their generous support of last week's town
halls. The events would not have been such a success without their help.
Sponsorships and speaking opportunities are still available for the 13 remaining town halls.
If you or your hospital are interested in either opportunity, please email info@HealthierIndiana.org.
