Special Coverage from the AHA’s Association for Community Health Improvement Conference

Health care workers who face the complexities of working with big data and population health must remain vigilant to potential public health threats and continue to reach across the aisle to fight injustice, Mona Hanna-Attisha, M.D., a pediatrician, professor and public health advocate who exposed the lead-contaminated water crisis in Flint, Mich., said during the opening keynote on day two of the AHA’s Association for Community Health Improvement’s National Conference. 

“What do your numbers mean?” she asked. “What will you risk for them? How loud will your voice be? Who will add their voice to your voice?”

Hanna-Attisha reminded attendees that “zip codes [are] more powerful than genetic codes” and commended the health care community for its impact on the social determinants of health. “We are working upstream on the bigger things that all people need to be healthy,” she said.

Throughout the day, more than 700 health care leaders participated in breakout sessions on population health and its social determinants, clinical-community connections and innovation.

One of today’s sessions featured a presentation by Arturo Carrillo, manager of mental health and family support at the Community Wellness Program of Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago. He spoke about the development of distinct, community-centered models to address violence and trauma in order to promote holistic wellness to individuals and families, as well as how the CWP offers a range of free social services to uninsured and underinsured community residents through its community resource centers. Carrillo also was a guest on AHA’s Advancing Health podcast where he talked about Saint Anthony Hospital’s efforts to improve mental health access in high economic hardship communities. Listen to the podcast here.

Indu Subaiya, M.D., co-founder of health care technology platform Health 2.0, wrapped up the day's program by offering attendees insight into how innovation and technology can advance community health and equity. 

Visit our news webpage for a full recap of yesterday's conference activities and follow #achimtg on social media for more coverage from the conference.