Assistant U.S. Surgeon General, Utah Public Health Director To Discuss Effective Health Information

June 25, 2008 - PRLog -- WOBURN, MA – How federal, state and local public health departments can create an integrated and effective public health information network will be among the key topics presented at the 2nd Annual Public Health Congress, July 23-25 in Washington, D.C. The conference brings together more than 200 leaders from top hospitals and health systems and federal, state and county health officials whose efforts are transforming and revitalizing the health care system.

Building off the success of the 2007 event, the three-day conference will feature perspectives on vital issues affecting public health, including preparedness, health disparities, health access and literacy, preventing and reversing obesity, battling drug abuse, eliminating hospital acquired infections and linking silos of health information to improve overall health.

WHAT: The 2nd Annual Public Health Care Congress
WHEN: July 23-25, 2008
WHERE: Washington, D.C., Mandarin Oriental Hotel
COMPLETE PROGRAM AGENDA:  www.worldcongress.com/publichealth

In one of the featured keynote panels, RADM (Rear Admiral) Ali D. Khan, MD MPH, Assistant Surgeon General and David Sundwall, MD, Executive Director, Utah Department of Public Health, will lead a discussion on “Strategies to Achieve Coordination across Federal, State and Local Levels to Create an Integrated and Effective Public Health Information Network. As national efforts to create a more interoperable public health system progress, individual states, such as Utah, are working to increase communication between their communities. The discussion will include:

-Connecting first responders
-How can state and county public health agencies better align themselves with the communities they serve
-SARS and other recent global outbreak responses
-Requirements for improved global disease preparedness, detection, response and control
-Status of e-health in Utah

The conference will also include tracks on July 24 and 25 on all hazards preparedness, including best practices to establish a comprehensive and actionable plan to prepare for hazards and building and IT infrastructure to support a medical emergency.

Other key topics include:

-A Model for Enchasing Health vs. Treating Illness – Beach Cities Health District whose sole focus is on health prevention services. – Redondo Beach, CA.
-National demonstration project to become the healthiest nation using advanced quality & innovation tools and methods.
-Reducing health disparities in the U.S.- overcoming the barriers to equality
-Strategies for eliminating hospital acquired infections
-Implications of Drug Abuse to Public Health: Screening and Briefing Intervention (SBI)

Featured speakers include:

- David Satcher, MD, PhD, Director, Satcher Health Leadership Institute; Director, Center for Excellence on Health Disparities, former U.S. Surgeon General
- David A. Rubenstein, Major General, United States Army, Deputy Surgeon General
- Barbara A. DeBuono, MD, MPH, Senior Medical Advisor, Pfizer Public Health and Policy Group; Chair of the Board, Partnership for Clear Health Communication
- Michael C. Caldwell, MD, MPH, Commissioner of Health, Dutchess County (New York) Department of Health
- Michael L. Cowan, MD, Chief Medical Officer, BearingPoint, Former Surgeon General, U.S. Navy
- Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Commissioner, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- Bertha Madras, PhD, Deputy Director, Demand Reduction, The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Christine Schuster, RN, MBA, President, Emerson Hospital, Concord

About The 2nd Annual Public Health Care Congress
At the 2008 Public Health Care Congress the nation’s most respected health system executives and government health officials will meet to reengineer current strategies to improve their organizations’ positions in America’s rapidly changing health care delivery system. The event is sponsored by Pfizer Public Health and Policy Group, DiagnosisOne, RTI International, USA Center, and VeriCor. Pfizer Public Health and Policy Group is publisher of the new book “Moments in Leadership: Case Studies in Public Health Policy and Practice”.

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World Congress is the leading global procuder of health care conferences directed at senior-level executives.