The Tennessee Department of Health will conduct regional workshops across the state in October and November, providing residents and healthcare professionals opportunities to suggest ways to improve population health. The Nashville session is scheduled for:

Oct. 21 - 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Lentz Public Health Center, Nashville

In addition, ETSU will host a population health improvement feedback session starting 10 a.m. Nov. 9 in the Natural History Museum; this session is also open to the general public. Information from the meetings will be assessed to help TDH develop a stronger state health plan for 2017 and beyond.

"The Tennessee Vital Signs Workshops will give people in Tennessee voice on how population health should be defined and measured, and to have conversations with others about population health needs and concerns," said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. "While all of us want healthcare to be there when we need it, what we really want is simply health itself, and these workshops will help us better understand what that looks like from a variety of viewpoints."

"From our perspective, the state health plan is a living document that needs the thoughts and voices of many stakeholders to ensure it continually impacts health where we live, labor, learn, play and pray," said TDH Health Planning Director Jeff Ockerman. "The workshops will provide a great opportunity for residents to have their voices heard and to help shape the state health plan in a way that positively affects all Tennesseans."

Those who wish to participate in the meetings may send an email to tn.health@tn.gov or call 615-741-1739. Additional information is also available online at: Health Planning Announcements