Randy Schwartz, MSPH
Director of the Division of Community and Family Health

Maine Department of Health

• Throughout the Healthy People 2010 Objectives, Draft for Public Comment improving healthy behaviors has an influence on many, if not all of the proposed 2010 objectives.
• Discussing behavior in the context of the community, family as well in the public health environment is very important.
• Looking at improving healthy behaviors in the social ecological model is also important.

Janice Ford Griffin
Deputy Director, Join Together (Boston)

Discussed the importance of including substance abuse as a public health message. Emphasized the importance of a local focus to address specific needs of a community.

Three overall points that Ms. Griffin shared with the audience were:

• Its is critical to have data that are available nationally, state and locally, to assist in community-based assessments and development of community health improvement outcomes plans.
• Access to treatment should be increased, in particular among high at risk population groups such as adolescents/young adults and older Americans and groups with multiple issues, such as domestic violence and substance abuse.
• It is important to strengthen partnerships. Recognizing the limited resources and the competition for resources, its extremely critical that groups work together. Those working on housing, education, criminal justice, labor and health issues need to have stronger communications and more colloborations in efforts to get more done with less.

Sonja Hedlund
Public Health Representative, Healthy Start Program

New York State Health Department

Spoke about the importance of making a critical review and the need for implementing changes in the public health sector. Ms. Hedlund’s three overall points to the audience members were:

• Physical activity has a significant role in improving health. In addition, it is important to have access to environments that promote physical activity (i.e. access to public schools’ gym facilities).
• Communications with non-public health professionals, especially those with similar interest such as religious/faith groups, is important.
• Environmental interventions play key roles in supporting change in behaviors (i.e., having exercise facility at workplaces).

• Members of the Healthy People Steering Committee and Work Group Coordinators described their work to date. Chapters are now available and open for public comment.
• Comments were made about the importance of receiving input on all twenty-six focus areas of Healthy People 2010 and particularly the two chapters on Substance Abuse and Heart Disease and Stroke.
• Members of the audience commented that for change in health behaviors to occur, many need to be involved, including families.

  Philadelphia Transcripts and Summaries