Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine to speak at the EmPOWERED to Serve Summit and Urban Health Accelerator in Baltimore, MD

On Tuesday, October 16, 2018, Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine will be a guest speaker at the EmPOWERED to Serve Summit and Urban Health Accelerator in Baltimore, MD. The summit will include national, state and local leaders from around the country representing a variety of sectors. The audience will include advocates, community leaders, national partners, issue experts and entrepreneurs. There will approximately be 200-250 people attending the EmPOWERED to Serve Summit and Urban Health Accelerator.

The goal of the summit is to empower American Heart Association partners and alliances to collaborate and create tailored solutions for their local community that will improve health and wellbeing.

Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine will share an example of a key initiative that her and community partners have spearheaded towards the transformation of the City of Columbia. She will discuss the role that innovation played in the City of Columbia and what does the City of Columbia need from organizations and constituents to help transform communities.

“I am honored to be among other elected officials and thought leaders from across the country who are sharing knowledge and best practices about health initiatives in their communities. I hope the information that I share will empower others, but I also hope to gain knowledge about programs that I can implement locally to help citizens in Columbia,” said Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine.

The American Heart Association (AHA) is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke.  Our mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Community transformation requires all sectors to work in collaboration to achieve equity. Each community is different and solutions must be tailored to meet community needs. To be a catalyst for change, the AHA will uplift community-centered solutions through a collective impact approach. This approach requires a concerted effort from multiple organizations and alliances that are each committed to a shared vision for impact. Most importantly, we recognize and acknowledge that the solutions to complex societal issues can be found in the community. One of the key drivers for success is LISTENING!

In October 2017, the AHA launched the inaugural EmPOWERED to Serve Summit in Washington, DC. The American Heart Association convened a myriad of partners to build upon the progress made to create a “culture of health” in diverse and under-resourced communities across the United States. Conference topics included social determinants of health, conscious capitalism, corporate social responsibility, community transformation, collective impact, high blood pressure management, and healthy food access. The goal of the summit was to “EMPOWER” our partners and alliances to collaborate and create tailored solutions for their local community that will improve health and wellbeing.

Nearly 200 experts and thought-leaders across multiple industries convened to discuss important topics affecting health and wellbeing in communities across the country and ways to address and improve them. Key topics included:

• Community transformation and the root causes that impact social determinants of health.
• Why and how your zip code may increase your risk of stroke, high blood pressure and other types of heart disease.
• How to engage unconventional partners to drive creative solutions for collaborative health impact.
• A keynote address from Robert Johnson, Managing Partner, Solomon Group, LLC
• Empowering people in communities to impact and influence change.