Georgia Health Initiative

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

At Georgia Health Initiative, we're committed to our vision of a Georgia where all people can attain their fullest potential for health. And that includes mental health.

We're excited to welcome Lizann Roberts to the Board of Georgia Health Initiative!

Lizann has over 35 years of experience in public health leadership and has focused her career on developing public-private endeavors to improve overall community well-being. Currently serving as the Executive Director of Georgia Indicators Coalition , Lizann resides on Isle of Hope in Chatham County.

We're so appreciative of Lizann's guidance and expertise as we work to change systems and inspire bold ideas to improve the health of all Georgians.

Welcome to the Board!
We're pleased to share that Betsy Collins, MD, MPH has joined the Board of Georgia Health Initiative. She is an Assistant Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics with the Generalist Division at Emory University Hospital Midtown (EUHM) where she cares for patients as well as teaches medical students and residents. She also maintains a clinical practice in OB/GYN at EUHM.

Betsy resides in Atlanta with her family and actively lends her voice to address issues that impact Georgians. We're grateful for her leadership and the unique perspective and insights she brings as we work toward our vision of a Georgia where all people have the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential for health.

The possibilities are endless when we work together to change systems and advance bold ideas to improve maternal health in Georgia.

Medicaid expansion in Georgia is projected to create significant job growth in a wide range of sectors, including construction and retail.

More details in our latest Issue Brief:https://georgiahealthinitiative.org/news/issue-brief-georgias-projected-economic-growth-from-medicaid-expansion/

We're excited to welcome Sarah Phillips to the Initiative as Director, Policy Strategies. In this role, she will design and implement policy strategies to advance health equity for Georgians.

Sarah has a background in legislative relations, policy research and analysis, and advocacy training and we're thrilled to have her expertise on !

Medicaid expansion would extend health coverage to uninsured Georgians living in rural communities and would also strengthen our rural economy.

Our latest issue brief highlights the economic impact: https://georgiahealthinitiative.org/news/issue-brief-georgias-projected-economic-growth-from-medicaid-expansion/

Our latest Issue Brief highlights the powerful economic stimulus that Medicaid expansion would bring to Georgia.

Read it here: https://georgiahealthinitiative.org/news/issue-brief-georgias-projected-economic-growth-from-medicaid-expansion/

By expanding Medicaid, Georgia’s economy would grow, incomes would increase - and we’d create tens of thousands of new jobs each year across business sectors.

Learn more by reading the issue brief here: https://georgiahealthinitiative.org/news/issue-brief-georgias-projected-economic-growth-from-medicaid-expansion/

Our new Issue Brief highlights substantial economic growth across business sectors and in every region of the state by expanding Medicaid in Georgia.

Check it out here:https://georgiahealthinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GeorgiaHealthInitiative-IssueBrief-032524.pdf

“Ky Lindberg…has played a pivotal role in enhancing the lives of women around the Atlanta Metro Area regardless of their background..”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves and we're so happy to have you on !

Congratulations to Initiative VP of Community Engagement, Ky Lindberg, who was recently honored with a Proclamation by the Doraville City Council as part of Women’s History Month for her contributions to the community.

Health coverage is foundational: it facilitates access to health care services, provides financial protection against unexpected and high medical costs, and supports better health outcomes.

More than 1.2 million Georgians, however, lack health coverage, due in part to a coverage gap where people with incomes above the Medicaid eligibility limit but too low to qualify for subsidies in the Marketplace have no viable options for health coverage.

Our new report, “Closing the Coverage Gap: Policy Considerations for Public-Private Solutions to Expand Health Insurance in Georgia” is now available for download.
https://georgiahealthinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Closing-the-Coverage-Gap.pdf

We're all yours, Georgia 💜

Please join us in welcoming Joann Yoon Kang to the Initiative as our new Vice President of Strategic Communications! Joann has spent nearly her entire career in health policy and advocacy, working to address some of the nation's most pressing public health issues. We're thrilled to have her strategic and collaborative leadership on .

More about Joann and her new role here: https://georgiahealthinitiative.org/news/joann-yoon-kang-joins-as-vice-president-of-strategic-communications/

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR CONTRACTED SERVICES

The Initiative is interested in surfacing research-based communication strategies that can benefit communicators across the state. To help build effective health equity communications, we are seeking proposals from qualified contractors to design, implement, and analyze research into Georgians' attitudes toward and perceptions of health equity messaging.

The full RFP can be found on our website: https://georgiahealthinitiative.org/partner-with-us/

Keep up with all the news and opportunities at Georgia Health Initiative by signing up for our emails. Visit https://georgiahealthinitiative.org/contact/ and sign up today!

We are delighted to welcome Ky Lindberg to the Initiative as Vice President of Community Engagement!

With almost two decades of experience leading efforts to address health disparities through policy, education, outreach, and coalition-building, Ky brings leadership, optimism, and tenacity to the Initiative’s evolving work.

More on this exciting announcement here:

Kyesha Lindberg Joins as Vice President of Community Engagement - Georgia Health Initiative For Immediate Release Contact: Angie Winschel Email: [email protected] Lindberg will lead efforts to ensure that community perspectives are infused into Initiative’s work Atlanta, GA – January 11, 2024—Georgia Health Initiative today announced Kyesha Lindberg as its new Vice Pr...

We're starting 2024 off on a high note, welcoming our two newest Board members:
*Chet Shah, Institutional Investment Advisor in the Truist Foundations and Endowments Specialty Practice at Truist Bank.
*Chris Reynolds, Advisory Board Member at RiskBridge Advisors, LLC.

Chet and Chris join the dedicated group of connectors and bridge-builders on our Board, helping us forge new routes to a Georgia where all people can reach their full potential for health.

"What might the structures and systems that support health look like if they drew on the incredible advances we have made in modern medicine AND the deep cultural traditions of communities?"

Initiative President Kristy Klein Davis explores this question and invites us to imagine the possibilities in her latest update.

Trusting communities, imagining possibilities - Georgia Health Initiative What might the structures and systems that support health look like if they drew on the incredible advances we have made in modern medicine AND the deep cultural traditions of communities?

Welcome to the 2024 Executive Committee of the Board: Keisha Callins, MD, MPH, Thomas Campbell Smyth, PhD, Kavanaugh Chandler, MD, MBA, Nicola Dawkins-Lyn, PhD, MPH, and Robert S. Wynn, CFA.

We're looking forward to a year full of possibilities and connection!

THANK YOU!!

Our heartfelt thanks to three Board members retiring at the end of 2023: Doug Patten, MD, Seema Csukas, MD, and Elizabeth Reese.

Their service, support, and commitment have sparked connection and possibility across Georgia, and we are forever grateful for their leadership.

We're fortunate to steady ourselves on a foundation of almost 25 years of community partnerships and good work, as we lean into becoming a more active collaborator and catalyst. Although we've been evolving much about our work recently, one thing that will not change is our focus on what is possible for the people of Georgia.

We celebrated our new name and brand earlier this fall with our staff, Board, and close partners as we looked forward to what's next. This organization was born of people standing up to systems to ensure that all Georgians can achieve their fullest potential for health, and we're proud to carry on that work.

Read more about our founding, our people, and our work on our new website:
https://georgiahealthinitiative.org/

Homepage - Georgia Health Initiative Georgia Health Initiative is working to change systems and advance bold ideas to improve the health of Georgians. We are an Initiative–we bring momentum
and we power change by building bridges and creating coalitions of solution-seekers across sectors, communities, and regions. We see nothing bu...

"We also believe that mission-aligned investing can help leverage the power of the markets to address complex social and environmental problems."

Initiative CFO Troy Johnson shares his thoughts on why we started our mission-aligned investing journey, how it can complement philanthropy, and what we've learned so far.

https://georgiahealthinitiative.org/news/shifting-our-perspective-on-investing/

"Disparities based on race and class suggest that we continue to have systems and structures that, whether intended or not, place a higher value on some lives than others."

In her latest update, President Kristy Klein Davis shares thoughts on the range of factors that shape Georgians' opportunities for health and wellbeing, and the Initiative's approach to changing systems that don't work for everyone.

A Collective Approach to Health - Georgia Health Initiative We all want to live in a Georgia where everyone has the opportunity to participate, prosper, and achieve their full potential for health.

President Kristy Klein Davis recently had the opportunity to sit down with the Atlanta Business Chronicle and discuss the Initiative's new strategy, plans for the future, and opportunities for the business community to join the conversation on health.

Check it out!

Fast-growing Georgia health care nonprofit eyes accessibility for future headquarters - Atlanta Business Chronicle "For me, it's a priority to be very accessible ... this is where we're going to be for at least 10 years."

Congratulations to our friends at Grantmakers In Health on the first day of the 2023 Fall Forum. We're pleased to be supporting this opportunity for learning and connection!

CME CREDITS OPPORTUNITY

November 1st: 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
CME credit for a screening of the film, “Birthing Justice,” followed by a Q&A session with the film’s executive producer, Denise Pines, MBA, Yolanda Lawson, MD, President of the National Medical Association, FSMB Chair Jeffrey Carter, MD. FSMB designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

To register, visit: https://www.pathlms.com/fsmb/courses/59153/webinars/39026

As maternal mortality, especially among Black women, is rising in the United States, Birthing Justice centers the expertise and lived experiences of Black women and their advocates. Giving Black women a voice, Birthing Justice offers solutions to fix the broken system, change the culture, and transform our future.

Georgia Health Initiative is proud to provide a portion of the funding to produce a 60-minute version of Denise Pines’ film "Birthing Justice", enabling the film to become part of the required curriculum for students at AACOM-accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine and allowing it to become CME Accredited through the Federation of State Medical Boards.

FSMB Webinar: Birthing Justice: Addressing Maternal Disparities (Nov. 1, 2023) | FSMB About the WebinarAccording to CDC data, Black women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than...