Sign Up For More InfoOn April 7th, The New York Academy of Medicine's (NYAM) Section on Health Care Delivery presented Jeffrey Levi, PhD, Executive Director, Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), Guthrie S. Birkhead, MD, MPH, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Public Health with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), and Farzad Mostashari, MD, MPH, Assistant Commissioner with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) to speak on prevention and healthcare reform at the event "Policies for Prevention: Big Bang for Your Reform Buck."
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| The April 7th event, "Policies for Prevention: Big Bang for Your Reform Buck", address the issues of prevention and health care reform. |
In recent months dialogue about healthcare reform has focused on non-traditional cost saving measures like prevention. While the argument can be made that prevention’s initial investment costs more than it saves, it is clear that prevention is not only crucial for general well being, but that it can save money in the long run. During his recent address to Congress President Barack Obama announced that health care is one of three priority areas for his administration as part of the economic stimulus recovery efforts. This signifies “a historic commitment to comprehensive health care reform, a down payment on the principle that we must have quality, affordable health care for every American,” he said. “Let there be no doubt: Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year. Our recovery plan makes the largest investment ever in preventive care, because that’s one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control.” The April 7 event addresses these issues of prevention and cost with some of the prominent figures actively engaged in prevention based reform.
As Executive Director of TFAH, Dr. Levi leads the organization’s advocacy efforts on a range of issues including obesity prevention and the modernization of our public health system. Dr. Levi is also an Associate Professor at The George Washington University's Department of Health Policy, where his research has focused on HIV/AIDS, Medicaid, and integrating public health with the healthcare delivery system. He has also served as an associate editor of the American Journal of Public Health, and Deputy Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy. Dr. Levi received a BA from Oberlin College, an MA from Cornell University, and a PhD from The George Washington University.
Deputy Commissioner, Dr. Birkhead is the chief public health physician at the NYSDOH. He oversees the activities of NYSDOH's four public health centers and two public health offices: the AIDS Institute, Center for Community Health, Center for Environmental Health, Wadsworth Laboratories, Office of Public Health Practice and the Health Emergency Preparedness Program. He is also an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, University at Albany and the founding Director of NYSDOH's Preventive Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Birkhead is a graduate of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemic Intelligence Service and Preventive Medicine Residency programs, and is board-certified in internal medicine and preventive medicine. He holds a medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and a master's degree in public health from the John Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.
Assistant Commissioner, Dr. Farzad Mostashari, MPH, is also Chair of the Primary Care Information Taskforce at the DOHMH, with the goal of encouraging and facilitating the adoption of secure public health-oriented health information technology and health information exchange in New York City. Dr. Mostashari is currently leading the City’s effort to implement electronic medical records in all community health centers, and he previously led the development of the City’s biosurveillance information systems. He is a member of the eHealth Initiative’s Leadership Council, and serves as Chair of the International Society for Disease Surveillance. He did his graduate training at the Harvard School of Public Health and Yale Medical School, internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, and completed the Center for Disease Control’s Epidemic Intelligence Service.
NYAM stands at the forefront of integrating prevention and public health into healthcare reform efforts. One of NYAM’s current priority areas in urban health is strengthening systems that promote the public’s health and preventing disease. Our participation in initiatives such as the New York State Prevention Agenda, which promotes community based planning and action to tackle the top ten causes of death and disease in New York State, and the Strategic Alliance for Health, a five-year plan in partnership with the NYC DOHMH and key community based organizations in East Harlem, Central Harlem and the South Bronx to decrease tobacco use and improve local opportunities for physical activity and healthy nutrition, allow us to be deeply involved in prevention at the city and state level. On a national level our research contributed to Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) Prevention for a Healthier America report, which made available, for the first time, a return on investment analysis of community based prevention of tobacco use and promotion of healthy eating and exercise.
Posted on 04/01/2009
Contact:
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