By Anna Chleboun
The Food Studies theme and the Athens County Health Department are hosting a presentation, The Health of Our Community: 2016 Athens County Community Health Assessment, Sept. 19 from 9-11:30 a.m., in Baker Center 242. The event is free and all are welcome.
Food Studies is partnering with Athens County Health Department to bring Athens County Health Commissioner Dr. James Gaskell and Environmental Health Director Jack Pepper to campus. Dr. Andrew Wapner, Director, Center for Public Health Practice, OSU College of Public Health, will also join the presentation during the second half of the morning program.
This Food Studies initiative with the Athens Health Department aims to increase the depth of university and community partnerships. The goal of this presentation from the Health Department perspective is threefold: to inform the community; to engage in prioritization for improving health outcomes; and to invite interested faculty to identify potential research opportunities. For Food Studies, hopes to provide a forum for exchange of information vital to us all.
In the morning’s first session, Jack Pepper will share data collected as part of the process to develop a community health improvement plan. With reference to data related to hunger and food security, Mr. Pepper will discuss how the data informs both the identification of priorities and strategies to impact population health outcomes. Then OSU’s Dr. Wapner will discuss tools for communities to use for health improvement activities.
Pepper noted, “It is so important that we receive input from a broad spectrum of our community members to best address as many of the health needs of our constituents,” adding that, “The September 19 meeting allows for an opportunity to capture yet another perspective from the community we serve and to explore future collaborations to best address the needs of the folks here in Athens County.”
Dr. Theresa Moran, the Director of the Food Studies Theme at Ohio University emphasizes the importance of engaging these topics of health and culture in a way that engages both the university and Athens community, saying that “working together, we can improve the health of our community.”
The morning will consist of two presentations:
9-10:15 a.m. Improving Our Community’s Health: Strategies and Priorities
- James Gaskell, M.D., Athens County Health Commissioner
- Jack Pepper, Environmental Health Director, Athens County Health Department
10:15-10:30 a.m. Coffee Break
10:30-11:30 a.m. Addressing Food Security and Healthy Food Access to Improve Community Health: An Evidence-based Approach to Population Health Planning in Ohio
- Andrew Wapner, DO, MPH, FACOP, FAAP, Director, Center for Public Health Practice OSU College of Public Health
Comments