CARMEL- Putnam’s 11th annual Public Health Summit stressed the need for trauma and resilience as “active ingredients” in the social determinants of health.
More than 100 were on hand at the Putnam Golf Course main ballroom for the event Friday to hear Dr. Andrew Bell who currently coordinates the efforts toward trauma-informed system change at the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health division.
Dr. Bell told the audience: “With better understanding of the neuroscience of stress and resilience, and the social factors that impact our health, we can improve the way we deliver healthcare.”
Dr. Bell defined resilience as the “capacity to shift to a state where we feel safe, connected and self-regulated.” These characteristics he called the “three pillars of resilience….and it is this shift that transforms, empowers and gives us agency. It allows us to be connected to the world around us.”
Dr. Bell also pointed out societal and cultural biases about disease and healing affect how patients are treated: “These biases create blind spots and have adverse effects for all concerned. With increased knowledge and understanding we can transform the delivery of health care and improve outcomes, creating true equity for all.”
Putnam Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Nesheiwat thanked a variety of individuals and agencies for attending: “It is the collaboration that goes on with our partners in the community and other county agencies that allows us all to be so collectively responsive to the mental and physical health needs of our community. Last week the health department received word that we had passed our national review by PHAB, the public health accreditation board. We are maintaining our accreditation for the next five years—and we could not have done it without each and every one of you here today.”
The group also heard from the health department’s epidemiologist, Alison Kaufman, DVM, MPH, and Putnam Hospital Center President Dr. Mark Hirko.
Dr. Kaufman delineated how the health department with partner assistance assesses community health, including both in a continuous manner, as in real-time community surveillance, and on a cyclical basis for specialized reporting, while Dr. Hirko talked candidly about the hospital’s challenges, citing healthcare workforce attrition, while at the same time highlighting recent achievements in re-opening Putnam Hospital Center’s birthing center and re-establishing its behavioral health hospitalization programs.
The Community Health Improvement Award, presented for the initial time, was awarded to Victoria Metz, Certified Recovery Peer Advocate at the Prevention Council of Putnam, who was recognized for the work she does helping Putnam residents on their path to recovery by connecting them with support and services to achieve positive outcomes.
