Throughout 2011, Georgians for a Healthy Future spearheaded a series of community events around the state of Georgia. The Building a Healthy Georgia series was a collaborative public education campaign led by Georgians for a Healthy Future and partner organizations Voices for Georgia’s Children, HealthSTAT, Georgia Budget & Policy Institute, AARP of Georgia and the Georgia Rural Health Association. The series of events fostered a dialogue with community leaders, medical providers, health care stakeholders, social services professionals, human services agencies, and individual consumers in several Georgia communities on the most important health care issues facing these communities; identified and drew attention to public policy initiatives at the local, state, and national levels that can address these issues; and developed a more cohesive statewide network of health care advocates. In an effort to address the various needs and issues of local communities and the vast array of topics surrounding health care in Georgia, each forum had a tailored focus (described below).

Building a Healthy Georgia: Widening the Safety Net and Ensuring Greater Access to Care This forum, held on November 30, 2011 in Savannah, brought together medical professionals, safety-net providers, small business owners, and students to examine potential new options for people who currently are uninsured and utilize the health care safety net and how to empower communities to take up the cause and make upcoming changes to Georgia’s health care infrastructure work for consumers across the state. To view the power point presentations from the forum, click here.

Building a Healthy Georgia: The Impact of Health Care Reform on Central Georgia’s 50+ Community This forum, held on November 15, 2011 in Macon and jointly hosted by Georgians for a Healthy Future and AARP of Georgia, explained what the health care law means for Central Georgia’s 50+ community and their families.  To view the power point presentations from the forum, click here.

Building a Healthy Georgia: The Role of Future Public Health Professionals and Public Health Policy-making This forum, held on September 30, 2011 in Athens, engaged students, professors, health care providers and the larger public health community in Athens and explained the role that public health has in our everyday lives and how critical it is to be actively engaged in its promotion in the future.  It also explored the changing face of public health from a state, federal and local perspective and underscored the opportunities to guide its direction moving forward. To view the power point presentations from the forum, click here.

Building a Healthy Georgia: Workforce Development and the Value of Ensuring Access to Health Care This forum, held on September 8, 2011 in Butler (Taylor County), centered around how the state is bolstering workforce development and how business owners, health care providers, community leaders and health care consumers can take advantage of upcoming opportunities to improve health care and access in Georgia.To view the power point presentations from the forum, click here.

Building a Healthy Georgia: Exploring Policies and Practices to Improve Children’s Access to Health Care Services 

This forum, held on August 25, 2011 in Augusta, was a community conversation centered around the barriers that children in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) face when accessing vital health care services.  The goal of this symposium was to catalyze an effort to advocate for policy and practice changes to remove existing access barriers and strengthen the overall health care delivery system for children in Georgia. To view the power point presentations from the forum, click here.