To receive our monthly eNews as well as event notices and other updates, just enter your email address.
Take a moment to learn more about NYAM's activities and events.
On November 10, 2011, NYAM and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) presented a symposium in honor of the late Dr. Richard F. Daines, former New York State Health Commissioner.
The symposium, entitled “Dr. Richard F. Daines and the Health of the Public: The Road Ahead,” honored Dr. Daines’ accomplishments and promoted innovative public health approaches to pressing issues of health in New York and around the nation. The event featured three panels focused on preventing the leading causes of death such as obesity and tobacco use; developing integrated health care delivery systems that coordinate with public health efforts; and creating partnerships among public health departments, health care delivery systems, and insurers that will enable excellent, affordable, and sustainable care for all New Yorkers.
Dr. Daines was a physician and hospital administrator who became New York State Health Commissioner in 2007 and served until 2010. During his tenure, The New York Academy of Medicine was fortunate to work with Dr. Daines and his staff at the New York State Department of Health on a number of critical public health issues including obesity, the sugar-sweetened beverage tax, and maternal mortality. At the time of his death at age 60 this past February, Dr. Daines had recently accepted an appointment as a Visiting Scholar at NYAM.
NYAM President Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford opened the symposium by welcoming Dr. Daines’ family, friends, colleagues, and admirers.
“Richard was a great Commissioner of Health in a state that has been fortunate to have some great commissioners,” Dr. Boufford said. “He understood that both the public health and health care agenda of the department were critical to improving the health of the population and he understood that real health progress is made at the community level, as he visited all 62 counties to promote local public health activities and local health department leadership. So today is about looking forward, building on the foundations left by Dr. Daines and his terrific team at the New York State Department of Health, and seeing how New York is positioned for future changes.”
Dr. Boufford also read a letter from New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who was unable to attend, honoring Dr. Daines on the occasion of the symposium. The letter can be viewed here.
Dr. Daines’ wife, Linda, then spoke eloquently about his deep commitment to his patients, his great respect for the staff of the New York State Department of Health, and his steadfast support of local health departments throughout the state.
“Richard was fond of approaching every challenge by saying, ‘Let’s have fun doing it,’” Mrs. Daines said in conclusion, setting the tone for an event that reflected not only Dr. Daines’ serious commitment to improving the health of all New Yorkers, but also his sense of humor and infectious enthusiasm for his work.
Dr. Nirav Shah, the current New York State Health Commissioner, began his remarks by noting that “Dr. Daines has big shoes to fill that challenge me every day—I think, ‘What would Dr. Daines do?’”
“He enjoyed meeting people and hearing their stories, and he brought them home to us and made them policy,” Dr. Shah continued. “Every day, we honor his legacy by working to achieve his goal to improve the health and well-being of New Yorkers.”
Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), delivered the keynote address, “A National Perspective on Current Public Health Challenges.” In his remarks, Dr. Frieden provided an overview of major CDC initiatives around cardiovascular health, tobacco use, and obesity, noting that public health initiatives over the years have usually been controversial before eventually becoming accepted and taken for granted. Dr. Frieden was honored at NYAM the previous evening for his work in this area; Mayor Bloomberg presented him with the Stephen Smith Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Public Health during NYAM’s 164th Annual Discourse and Awards event.
The day’s first panel addressed public health approaches to preventing the leading causes of death, obesity, and tobacco. Dr. Ursula Bauer, Director of the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, detailed several public health approaches to transforming the nation’s health, including policy and environmental interventions that make healthy choices easier and health systems interventions that improve clinical approaches to prevention through the use of tools like electronic health records. Dr. Marlene Schwartz, Deputy Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, shared some of the Center’s research on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children and the success of state-mandated school wellness policies.
The second panel focused on building better public health systems by preparing the public health infrastructure for health reform. Dr. Guthrie S. Birkhead, Deputy Commissioner of the NYSDOH Office of Public Health, gave an update on New York’s Prevention Agenda, a five-year plan that acts as a blueprint for public health action across the date. Sylvia Pirani, Director of the NYSDOH Office of Public Health Practice, highlighted the benefits of national public health accreditation for state and local health departments, which New York State is currently pursuing. Dr. Cynthia Morrow, Commissioner of the Onondaga County Department of Health, discussed how local health departments can be the incubators of new public health approaches.
The program’s final panel centered on the role of hospitals, health care delivery systems, and health insurers in promoting prevention and improving community health. The panelists were Dennis P. Whalen, Executive Vice President of the Healthcare Association of New York State; Dr. Foster Gesten, Medical Director of the NYSDOH Office of Health Insurance Programs; Dr. John Rugge, Founding CEO of the Hudson Headwaters Health Network; and Dr. Michael W. Cropp, President of the Independent Health Association.
Dr. William F. Streck, President and CEO of Bassett Healthcare and Chair of the NYS Public Health and Health Planning Council, closed the symposium with some final remarks and reflections on Dr. Daines’ public health legacy.
“Dr. Daines was a man who thoughtfully discerned the truth and acted upon it,” Dr. Streck said. “He was a man of principle, and the principles of public health found in him a mentor, advocate, and leader as Commissioner of Health.”
To view a video taping of the Symposium, click here.
 |
| Jo Ivey Boufford, Thomas Frieden, Linda Daines, Nirav Shah |
Posted on November 11, 2011
Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
1216 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10029
212-822-7285
amartin@nyam.org
Reporters: to arrange interviews with NYAM medical and urban health experts, contact
Andrew J. Martin, Director of Communications
212-822-7285 / amartin@nyam.org
The 2012-2013 Duncan Clark Lecture - The Affordable Care Act: An Insider’s View
Featured Speaker: Sherry Glied, PhD, former Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
November 19, 2012 - The NYAM Section on Health Care Delivery welcomes Sherry Glied, PhD, former Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who will deliver the 2012-2013 Duncan Clark Lecture on "The Affordable Care Act: An Insider's View."
Learn more »
The New York Academy of Medicine with support from the New York State Heath Foundation released a new report, Federal Health Care Reform in New York State: A Population Health Perspective.
This report identifies opportunities that build on both the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) and New York’s ongoing efforts toward improving the health of its 19 million residents.
Read press release
Read report
