Health Behaviors and the Role of Hospitals

The AHA hosted a webinar on “Health Behaviors and the Role of Hospitals,” an accompaniment to an upcoming guide in our social determinants of health series. As hospitals and health systems are addressing more population health issues, unhealthy behaviors such as excess alcohol intake, smoking, irregular diet and low physical activity have been identified as significant influencers of poor health in individuals and communities. Changing health behaviors is not an easy task, but Tanner Health System in Georgia and Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Vermont have taken monumental steps toward decreasing risky behaviors and encouraging engagement in safer, healthy behaviors.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn what healthy behaviors are and their impact on health
• Outline strategies to identify patients engaging in risky behaviors
• Learn evidence-based approaches developed to improve healthy behaviors in communities
• Explore the opportunities to change healthy behaviors into habits

Speakers:

• Jill Lord, Director of Community Health, Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center
• Patricia Mitchell, Community Outreach Coordinator, Tanner Health System
• Phyllis Head, Community Outreach Coordinator, Tanner Health System
• Moderator: Kevin Alvarnaz, Director, Community Health and Wellness, WellSpan

View a recording of this webinar.