April 28, 2016

INTERIM SURGEON GENERAL CONTINUES STATEWIDE TOUR WITH MIAMI VISIT

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Tallahassee, Fla.—Interim State Surgeon General Dr. Celeste Philip visited the Department of Health in Miami-Dade County today during the next leg of her statewide tour. The meeting brought together leadership from the health department to discuss priorities unique to the south Florida area.

“We know that Zika is an important focus for south Florida at his time, and today I heard about the innovative approach to community education that Miami-Dade has adopted that involves cross-training all staff who work in the community on a daily basis,” said Interim State Surgeon General Dr. Celeste Philip. “We also discussed the positive progress and ideas for enhancement of the rapid test and treat pilot project for HIV that began in Miami-Dade in March.”

“Dr. Philip’s visit to our local office today was a great opportunity to discuss health in Miami-Dade County,” said Health Officer for the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County Dr. Lillian Rivera. “We came away from our meeting today reassured about the direction of our journey.”

The goal of the tour is to identify opportunities in Florida’s 67 counties to improve and collaborate on for the new State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP). The department is currently leading a multi-agency statewide effort to develop Florida’s SHIP for 2017-2020. This SHIP will provide the blueprint for effective, targeted and integrated action to improve the health of Floridians. Together with community partners, the department is currently gathering input to identify key health-related concerns facing the state and conducting a thorough analysis of factors that will help pinpoint the most important health issues for Florida.

Dr. Philip will wrap up her tour in mid-May and will share highlights along the away on the department’s Twitter and Facebook platforms using hashtag #FLHealthSHIP.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

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