HJAR Jan/Feb 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JAN / FEB 2020 29 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com (DPHI). “Health outcomes in Arkansas and the Delta are among the worst in the country,” said Shane Spei- ghts, DO, dean of NYITCOM-Arkansas. “Among states, Arkansas annually ranks near the bottom in a number of categories, including hyperten- sion, diabetes, obesity, and premature death rates. There are numerous factors well beyond the healthcare system that impact the overall health of our communities, and I’m excited about how the Delta Population Health Institute will bring people together to address those issues and serve as an impetus for change.” The DPHI will serve as an anchor institution to leverage its resources in education, research, and policy to address population health issues. Addi- tionally, the DPHI will facilitate community acti- vation to close the gap in health disparities and transform community health by focusing on the social determinants of health. Population health is defined as the overall health of a group of people. Social determinants of health are the conditions of the places where people live, work, learn, and play, that influence population health. Examples of social determi- nants of health include but are not limited to edu- cational systems, transportation, economic driv- ers, nutritional resources, and healthcare systems. “When a community doesn’t have access to healthy food, adequate transportation, affordable housing, education, or quality healthcare, those issues impact their overall health,” said Brook- shield Laurent, DO, chair of clinical medicine at NYITCOM-Arkansas and newly-appointed exec- utive director of the DPHI. “We’ve created the DPHI to serve and collaborate with Delta com- munities, learners, leaders, policymakers, gov- ernment agencies, and stakeholders to lead change that results in healthier communities as we address these issues that are so prevalent throughout our region.” The DPHI will house the NYIT Master of Public Health and the Population Health Certificate pro- grams. All NYITCOM-Arkansas medical students receive a certificate in population health as part of their medical education, and the program will also be available to partner community mem- bers who desire to learn how to lead and facili- tate change. The DPHI will train all learners and stakeholders in population health to create pol- icy, systemic, and environmental change that will transform the health of communities in the Mis- sissippi Delta. The DPHI will also house rural health initia- tives, a policy lab, the First District Congressio- nal Fellowship, and the Delta Care-A-Van. The First District Congressional Fellowship was cre- ated in 2018 and allows NYITCOM-Arkansas students to work with Congressman Rick Craw- ford’s office to assess and analyze data and pol- icy, inform policy makers, and help drive commu- nity-based solutions to improve health outcomes. The Delta Care-A-Van was established in 2019 Drew Chandler Rachel Parker Harding Robert S. Moore, Jr. Cindy Murphy Win Rockefeller, Jr. Joe Clay Young, IV

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