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NewsHere you can find regional and national news stories about the Healthy Memphis Common Table, as well as past newsletters and events. Healthy Memphis Common Table One of 14 Programs Selected for $300 Million Nationwide Effort to Dramatically Improve Quality of U.S. Health CareOn June 5, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced a major new investment in the Healthy Memphis Common Table and 13 other community-based programs around the country as part of a $300 million initiative to spearhead health-quality reforms through regional collaboratives. Known as Aligning Forces for Quality, RWJF’s initiative is the largest effort of its kind ever undertaken by a U.S. philanthropy. An unprecedented commitment of resources, expertise and training, it brings together patients, health care providers and payers to turn proven practices for improving quality into real results. It will lift the overall quality of health care, reduce racial disparities and provide models for national reform. Healthy Memphis Common Table was selected for the initiative in a competitive process to find the states and communities best positioned to make fundamental and cutting-edge changes to rebuild their health care systems. In addition to providing expertise, technical assistance and training from national experts, RWJF will provide Healthy Memphis Common Table with more than $1 million over three years and access to additional grants for specific projects. “Everyone in the health care system wants to deliver high-quality care, but the fragmented nature of our health care markets and delivery systems often prevents key players from working together toward that common goal,” said Denise Bollheimer, chair – Healthy Memphis Common Table. “We are excited to be selected for this initiative, so we can bring all the parties together – those who get care, give care and pay for care – to drive real improvements in Memphis.” The report reveals opportunities to improve the quality of care locally. In Memphis, four in 10 women insured by Medicare are not getting recommended mammograms, and nearly two in 10 patients with diabetes are not getting crucial blood tests. The rate of amputations due to complications from peripheral vascular disease and diabetes is on par with the national average, and the amputation rate is far higher among African Americans than among whites.
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Commercial Appeal editorial on importance of health activismA project worth supporting: click here to read the editorial about this project (as it appeared in The Commercial Appeal on June 8, 2008) about the business case for the newspaper collaborating with the Healthy Memphis Common Table to improve the health of Memphis. Shelby County has a long way to go in health improvementWhen it comes to health, Shelby County is in the bottom fourth of Tennessee's 95 counties, according to a new study released Thursday, May 1, 2008 by the Tennessee Institute of Public Health. The report illuminates the fact that we must address and understand the ties among education, literacy, poverty, environment, diet, children in single-parent households, crime, access to care, personal habits and behavior -- as all of these factors work together to affect the health in our region's citizens and the health of our local economy. Information about Shelby, Tipton, Fayette, Lauderdale, and other West Tennessee counties can be found at this link: Tennessee County Health Rankings 2007. Shelby County can be found on P. 92. U.S. Officials Share Importance of Electronic Health Records in the Mid-South & USHealth & Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt Awards first U.S. Chartered Value Exchange designation to Healthy Memphis Common Table: Thursday, January 31, 2007. To learn more, click here. Preventive health-care practices could avert 100,000 deaths each yearABC World News (8/8, story 7, 1:50, Gibson) reported, "A new medical report out today, finds that tens of thousands of American lives could be saved every year, if more people would simply take some easy and inexpensive steps." ABC (McKenzie) added, "The report found that with a daily aspirin -- if used by more adults, with a high risk of heart disease, especially men over 40 and women over 65 -- about 45,000 lives could be saved each year. Also, the study finds that more doctors offering to help patients quit smoking could have a similar effect." Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the director of the Coordinating Center for Health Promotion at the CDC, was shown saying, "What this study shows is that even a modest investment in preventive services can have a dramatic impact. And, doctors can have a surprising influence on patients to make decisions, such as to quit smoking." McKenzie added, "Currently, only 28 percent of doctors offer assistance. Get that rate up to 90 percent and the report calculates enough Americans would quit smoking to save another 42,000 lives." WebMD (8/9, Warner) reports that "if more Americans followed just five simple preventive health-care practices, nearly 100,000 deaths each year could be prevented." According to the study, underutilized, but highly beneficial, health-care services, include "daily aspirin therapy" to prevent heart disease, "smoking cessation," and "annual flu vaccinations." Moreover, another "14,000 additional lives would be saved each year by increasing to 90 percent the portion of adults aged 50 and older who are up-to-date with any recommended screening for colorectal cancer"; and, an additional "3,700 lives would be saved each year by increasing to 90 percent the portion of women ages 40 and older who have been screened for breast cancer in the past two years." In addition, the research conducted by the National Commission on Prevention Priorities noted disparities in preventive health care. Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., who chairs the commission, emphasized that "a lot of Americans are not getting lifesaving preventive services, particularly racial and ethnic minorities. As a result, too many people are dying prematurely or living with diseases that could have been prevented." For example, the study found that Latino "smokers are 55-percent less likely to get assistance in quitting smoking than whites." Half of Memphians report health literacy problemsThe new "2007 Memphis Health Literacy Survey" shows that only only 47% of Mid-South adults could correctly identify one or more of the essential services for adults to get from their doctors. Citizens also said they lacked resources to make wise choices for care: only 31% of people have seen information comparing hospitals and only 15% have seen information comparing doctors. Of major concern, Memphians with chronic disease were much more likely to experience health literacy problems. As part of our Obesity and Diabetes Initiative and Aligning Forces for Quality Initiative, Community Partners of the Healthy Memphis Common Table are working together to improve essential health literacy. We are working with the news media, the faith community and other non-profits, and with MDs on how to counsel patients. This survey was supported in part by Novo Nordisk's National Changing Diabetes Program and the Methodist Interfaith Health Program. See summary report. Delta Regional Authority Kicks Off Healthy Delta!Pete Johnson, the federal co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, unveiled the DRA's Healthy Delta initiative and spoke with reporters about the effort to decrease the effect of diabetes in the region at the National Press Club in Washington on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 The Delta Regional Authority board is devoting almost $1 million to begin a diabetes education and prevention program, known as the Healthy Delta program. This effort will attempt to bring about real change, starting with diabetes. The diabetes program is designed to drive Delta residents to a call center and website. The major goals are:
The DRA hopes to later pursue broader health and wellness issues in the region. A special effort is being made to ensure the message does not miss hard-to-reach minority populations in the eight states served. www.healthydelta.com/welcome.html
Delta Health Alliance continues to address rural health problems in the Mississippi DeltaThe Delta Health Alliance was founded in 2001 to address health issues in the Mississippi Delta, and is a partnership between Delta State University, Mississippi State University, Mississippi Valley State University, University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Delta Council. Delta Health Alliance also has four associate partners: The Mississippi Association of Community Health Centers, Mississippi Medical Association, Mississippi Hospital Association, and Area Health and Education Centers. These organizations collaborate to create a comprehensive program that addresses the longstanding, unmet rural health needs of the Mississippi Delta, and focus on increasing access and availability of care, conducting and applying health research, and offering health education programs. To learn more, visit Delta Health Alliance at www.deltahealthalliance.com
Bredesen Outlines Diabetes-Prevention StrategyMeets with National Health Leaders to Seek Input, Advice Memphis — On September 18, 2006, Governor Phil Bredesen introduced an aggressive new plan to encourage Tennessee pre-teens and teenagers to adopt healthier lifestyles and attack the rising diabetes epidemic linked to poor eating and exercise habits. Speaking to national health leaders at a Memphis forum organized by the Council of State Governments and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Bredesen outlined a series of new investments in public schools across Tennessee designed to counteract what he called a "perfect storm" — the ever-increasing prevalence of fast food combined with TV and video games and diminishing attention to physical activity. Bredesen said a rising incidence of childhood obesity, which leads to Type-2 diabetes (also known as "adult onset" diabetes), is threatening the health of kids in urban, suburban and rural areas across Tennessee. "Like many American kids, Tennessee’s children are at risk," the Governor said. "If a child today is diagnosed as a pre-teen with Type-2 diabetes, they’ll have vision problems in their twenties, heart disease in their thirties and kidney dialysis in their forties. The good news is we absolutely know how to prevent this. We just need to put our heads down and do it." He added: "Our kids deserve nothing less." Tennessee’s diabetes prevention strategy has two main components: an innovative new initiative known as "Project Diabetes" and significant new investments in Tennessee’s existing Coordinated School Health program: Project Diabetes
Coordinated School Health
In addition to outlining Tennessee’s new diabetes-prevention strategy, Bredesen reached out to officials from other states and nonprofit groups attending the Memphis forum to suggest national or regional partnerships in an effort to leverage best practices, latest research and available resources. "The more we can lock arms with like-minded states and organizations, the better off our kids will be in the future," the Governor said. Bredesen said the State of Tennessee and Project Diabetes has had preliminary discussions with the nonprofit Alliance for a Healthier Generation to collaborate moving forward. The nonprofit New York-based initiative’s current partners include the American Heart Association, former President Bill Clinton and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Bredesen said the ultimate goal of Tennessee’s new diabetes prevention strategy is to short-circuit a looming public health crisis before it occurs rather than just standing by and paying for treatment after it happens. "Prevention is one of the great frontiers in health care," Bredesen added. "It’s time for us to move beyond just funding the treatment of disease. It’s time for us to find ways to prevent it. I want Tennessee to be a pioneer and a national leader, starting with diabetes prevention." www.tennesseeanytime.org/governor/AdminCMSServlet News ArchivesJanuary 21, 2006: Shaping America's Youth Town Meeting: Click here for the preliminary report. The "Shaping America’s Youth Town Meeting", a 21st Century Town Meeting enabled over 1,000 participants to provide input to both local and national decision-makers on a National Action Plan for addressing the childhood obesity issue. View event photos! www.shapingamericasyouth.org/Page.aspx October, 2005: Gotta Have Park Festival January 14, 2005:Leadership Memphis: Building a Healthier Memphis Class Day January 5, 2005: Third Annual Rice Intercollegiate Bowl November 22, 2004: Holiday Letter to Community Partners & Friends
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