Free Sessions Dedicated to Changing Health Outcomes in Texas

Virtual Learning Series

Thank you for your interest in the Healthier Texas Summit Virtual Learning Series!

We post new videos from this year's Virtual Learning Series once they've been recorded and are completed. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us.

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Leading with Health: Unexpected Leaders within Health Collaboratives

Description:

Accountable Communities for Health (ACHs) are led by a backbone organization. Traditionally, this role is filled by an organization within the healthcare sector, such as a hospital or clinic system. ACH backbone leadership from outside the healthcare sector brings different perspectives to the work, as well as challenges to navigate. In this session, Leaders from Texas Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (TACHI) non-healthcare backbone sites will share their experiences, plans, and learnings to date.

Speakers:

Debbie Bresette
Executive Director, Bastrop County Cares

Carmen Llanes Pulido
Executive Director,Go Austin Vamos Austin (GAVA)

Mary Lawler
Chief Executive Officer, Avenue CDC

C.J. Hager
Senior Research Innovation Officer, Episcopal Health Foundation

Description:

Food access and consumption are key health indicators for communities. This community health center established partnerships with local food banks and food pantries to develop Food Prescription (Food Rx) and Door Dash delivery programs that work to improve access to healthy foods and address diet-related chronic diseases. Examine the insights gained from community partnerships & their power to address medical & social needs for vulnerable populations.

Speakers:

Ijeoma Jiwuaku
Community Centered Health Home Coordinator, AccessHealth Community Center

Palak Jalan
Chief Population Health Officer, AccessHealth Community Center

Description:

El Paso County's Healthy Food Financing Initiative invests in food retail projects that increase the availability of healthy and affordable food in high-need areas. This panel includes three distinct program partners who will discuss the cross-sector partnership, roles, and lessons learned that support private and non-profit food retail enterprises pursue projects to increase access to healthy food.

Speakers:

Gabriela Gallegos
Associate Professor, UT Health School of Public Health

Valerie Venecia
Heritage Tourism Coordinator, El Paso County Economic Development

Audrey Marrufo
Training Coordinator, Small Business Development Center at El Paso Community College

Adriana Clowe
Co-founder & Director of Operations, Desert Spoon Food Hub

Description:

Focus on how one community clinic developed partnerships with community organizations such as parks and recreation, local police, and a neighborhood association to improve park conditions so that residents would have a safe place to exercise, meet, and build community in order to reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and other health disparities. Discussion of unusual resources such as landscape architects can be partnered with as allies in addressing community health.

Speakers:

Kari Spielgelhalter
Associate Designer, Asakura Robinson

Palak Jalan, BDS, MPH
Chief Population Health Officer, AccessHealth

Description:

Panelists will discuss successes/challenges related to food access and nutrition education, how to address institutional racism and potential biases within their organizations, and how to elevate systemic change to ensure communities are receiving equitable food access and nutrition education.

Speakers:

Natasha Harper-Madison
Mayor Pro-Tem & District 1 Council Member, Austin City Council

Andrea Abel
Executive Director, Farmshare Austin

Linda Novick O'Keefe
Co-Founder & CEO, Common Threads

Description:

Dental caries is the most common childhood disease with 68% of kindergarten children having tooth decay. Children with poor oral health are more than two times likely to perform poorly in school, and children with cavities in their baby teeth are three times more likely to get cavities in their adult teeth. The Texas 83rd legislative session added oral health as a required topic to the state education code.

Speakers:

Shreela Sharma, PhD, RDN
Professor of Epidemiology, UTHealth School of Public Health

Kila Johnson, DDS
Director of Dental Health Services, Harris County Public Health

Kevin Ryan
Director, Delta Dental Community Care Foundation

Description:

The Healthy Kids, Healthy Families grant is an initiative led by BCBSTX that’s operating in its 10th year. This year, a pivotal change was made to focus on funding programs that are beyond the traditional focus of nutrition and physical activity. Learn more on the process, relationships, implementation, and impact of this change.

Speakers:

Sheena Payne
Director of Community Affairs, BCBSTX

Hugo Zurita
Executive Director, Good Neighbor Settlement Home

Albert Ramirez
Executive Director, Burleson Health Resource Center

Patrick Brandt
President, Shiftsmart

Amy McGeady, PhD
CEO, It’s Time Texas

Presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Texas

Presented by

Empowering Action for Systems Change | October 5-6, 2023

Presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Texas

Presented by

Empowering Action for Systems Change | October 5-6, 2023

Virtual Learning Series

Leading with Health: Unexpected Leaders within Health Collaboratives

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Presented by

An Initiative of It's Time Texas and in Collaboration with The University of Texas System

Presented by

An Initiative of It's Time Texas and in Collaboration with The University of Texas System