April 27, 2021

Eyes on Equity Through the Social Determinants of Health

TAMPA, FLORIDA,

The Health Council of West Central Florida Offers a Series of six, 90-minute Webinars

The webinars entitled “Eyes on Equity through the Social Determinants of Health” will explore how health is affected by many factors beyond genetics or healthcare.

Social determinates of health describe the phenomenon of how social constructs can impact health in ways that may be unfair or unjust for certain groups within a population. Social and economic disadvantages such as poverty, lack of educational opportunity, food insecurity, environmental or neighborhood crime can result in poor health outcomes and health disparities.

“Achieving health equity requires fundamental change across multiple systems and at different levels. Moving toward equity requires collaboration and systems change. We want to encourage that collaboration in the Tampa Bay area by providing an opportunity for participants to develop a knowledge base and begin conversations across the systems”, said Teresa Kelly, Executive Director of the Health Council of West Central Florida.

July 30, 2020

The Health Council of West Central FL Needs Hillsborough County Residents to Participate in Virtual Town Halls to Help End the HIV Epidemic

TAMPA, Fla. PRLog — The Health Council of West Central Florida is holding a series of three Virtual Town Hall Zoom Meetings to gather input, comments and information from Hillsborough County community members. The Town Halls will provide a platform to assist community members and stakeholders, enabling them to review and comment on the goals, strategies and activities included in the Hillsborough County Plan to End the HIV Epidemic.

The data will be collected and utilized to help end the HIV Epidemic specific to the county. Currently, Hillsborough County is 27th in the nation for HIV infections.

“The HIV epidemic continues to impact our community and requires a community-wide response, said Teresa Kelly, Executive Director of The Health Council.  “We need the voices of as many people as possible as we work to develop a comprehensive action plan to reduce new HIV infections by 75% in the next five years and by 90% by 2030. The town halls will provide an opportunity to discuss the goals, strategies, and activities under consideration and help shape the plan for Hillsborough County.”

The dates and topics are as follows:

DIAGNOSE
August 11th:  3:00 – 4:30 PM
This meeting will focus on the first pillar to diagnose people with HIV as early as possible.

TREAT
August 18th:  3:00 – 4:30 PM
This meeting will focus on treatment of people with HIV rapidly and effectively to reach sustained viral suppression to reduce the risk of transmission.

PREVENT & RESPOND
August 25th:  3:00 – 4:30 PM
This meeting will focus on prevention of new HIV transmissions and responding quickly to potential HIV outbreaks to get needed prevention and treatment services to people who need them.

April 21, 2020

Health Council of West Central FL Awarded Funding by Florida DOH to Collect Crucial HIV Data from Hillsborough County Community Members

TAMPA, Fla. – PRLog — With infectious diseases like Coronavirus and HIV being top of mind in our communities, the Health Council of West Central Florida is launching an online survey on April 22nd. The survey is aimed at gaining input from community mibers to represent a diverse population in every area of the county regardless of HIV status. Ending the HIV Epidiic, an initiative supported by the CDC, selected Hillsborough County as an HIV hot spot in need of an innovative plan to address the HIV epidiic through the social determinants of health. Hillsborough County is one of 48 counties with the highest rates of HIV diagnoses nationally.

“Barriers to diagnosis, treatment and prevention of HIV are the same as those being discussed daily in coronavirus coverage. Limited testing (especially in vulnerable communities), housing insecurity, access to healthcare, racial and ethnic disparities and transportation are common in every area of public health,” said Teresa A. Kelly, Executive Director of West Central Florida.

“The CDC provided guidance for the Ending the HIV Epidiic in the form of four pillars: diagnosis, treatment, prevention and response. These pillars are consistent to the major issues within the coronavirus pandiic – as inequities in the social determinants of health challenge these viruses and our communities.”

The survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HGM5Q6K) will be posted online (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HGM5Q6K) and distributed through May 8th to assess community attitudes around diagnosis, treatment and prevention of HIV in Hillsborough County. Results from this survey will determine the strategies and how they are impliented in the Ending the HIV Epidiic Plan for Hillsborough County.

August 16, 2018

Prism Invites Community to Attend “How to Cut Business and Personal Healthcare Cost” Panel Discussion

Prism Health Advocates invites Tampa Bay Area residents to attend the “How to Cut Business and Personal Healthcare Costs” panel discussion hosted by the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) of Florida. The event will occur on Aug. 22 at from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Centre Club in Tampa. Admission will be $20 for WBDC members and $25 for non-members. Visit our Facebook event page to RSVP:

The panel includes three local leaders in the healthcare industry, Teresa Kelly of the West Central Florida Health Council, Rebecca Johnson M.A. of Corporate Fitness Works and Karen Krymski M.P.H. of the Small Business Development Center, as well as Prism’s founder Debbie Bain R.N., B.S.N.

March 14, 2016

Health Council of West Central Florida Praises 2016 Healthy Weight Community Champions

TAMPA, FL – Polk and Manatee Counties, along with the cities of Bradenton, Lakeland and Winter Haven, all served by the Health Council of West Central Florida (HCWCF), were crowned as Champions by Florida’s Surgeon General for initiating Programs to reach healthy weights for their residents.

“We are very proud of the efforts these cities and counties in our service area are taking to increase physical activity and improve nutrition as part of the 2016 Health Weight Community Champions”, says Teresa Kelly, Executive Director. They are in a select group of 80 jurisdictions and local governments throughout Florida chosen after submitting descriptions of their policies and programs to the Surgeon General. “The two counties and three cities were recognized for making healthy choices the last two years as well, and Manatee County was also recognized in 2014”, Kelly says. “Getting to, and maintaining, healthy weight is a foundation for helping prevent many diseases,” she adds, “and it’s very encouraging to see good habits forming with lifestyle practices that build environments where the healthy choice is the easiest choice,” says Kelly.

The Health Council of West Central Florida (HCWCF) is a private, non-profit agency that represents the concerns of health care consumers, providers and purchasers at the local level. HCWCF provides comprehensive assessment, planning and advisory services to meet the health related needs of the public, non-profit and governmental agencies. The Health Council provides education and public dialogue on health challenges facing our community. HCWCF serves residents in Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee and Polk Counties.

October 20, 2015

Health Council of West Central Florida names Teresa A. Kelly, Executive Director

Tampa, FL – Teresa A. Kelly has been named the new Executive Director of the Health Council of West Central Florida, Inc. (HCWCF) The private, non-profit agency serves residents in Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee and Polk counties. HCWF represents the concerns of health care consumers, providers and purchasers at the local level.

Teresa said “The Health Council of West Central Florida is committed to assessing the health status and resources of area residents and assisting communities with solutions to meet emerging needs. I look forward to advancing our mission through collaborations and partnerships that encourage public dialogue, and by providing data and technical expertise around health issues facing our community.”

Prior to her appointment, Kelly had served as a Business Development and Planning Director as well as other planning and programming capacities at The Health Council of West Central Florida and Suncoast Health Council for over 15 years.

“Teresa has extensive experience in the health care non-profit arena. We are very pleased to have someone of her caliber as the new Executive Director of HCWCF,” Ray Dielman, Board Chair, HCWCF.

Other past experience includes Special Projects Director for United South and Eastern Tribes (USET), Grants Analyst for the State of Tennessee – Office of Economic and Community Development and Economic Development Specialist/Planner for the Miccosukee Corporation in south Florida. In addition to her tenure, Kelly has served as President, Board of Directors of the Tampa Bay Health Care Collaborative, Board of Directors of Suncoast Tampa Bay Memorial Society and President of the Board of Trustees for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Saint Petersburg.