The 2023 Appalachian Leadership Forum

Whether you serve on the local subsidiary board of a health system, a board of a local health department, or the board of a community health center, critical access hospital or rural hospital, the Forum is for you. Health care and public health boards and their leadership are beginning to work collaboratively with other sectors in their communities to address social determinants of health to create a culture of health that will unleash economic prosperity in their communities.This is the next step beyond the “population” health work, i.e. that work focused on addressing social determinants of health in your patients, you are currently doing. The Forum will provide you the tools and knowledge that you need to impact the health of all who live in the communities you serve

The Appalachian Health Leadership Forum will focus on two areas. First, regardless of the type of organization you serve, board members must consider their governing style, and ensure that they are performing at the highest level. The consequences of mediocre governance can have significant impacts on the performance of the organization, as well as the health of those who live in the communities you serve.

Secondly, we know that the community conditions where we live, work and go to school have a great impact on our health long before we ever see a health care provider. Thus, the Forum will explore strategies related to community health improvement planning to strengthen your capacity to work with business, government, religious, education, and other leaders to develop a more coordinated, strategic approach to identifying community priorities and taking coordinated action to achieve local economic and health priorities.