Kicking off the event were Dr. James Ammons, President of Florida A&M University, and Randy Hanna, Chairman of Our Region Tomorrow.

Four discussions took place during the day, as local and regional experts conferred on various elements of the region’s health.

Mark O’Bryant, President and CEO of Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, moderated the State of the Region on Health discussion, with presenters Jason Hight, Public Health Analyst at the Florida Department of Health.

Beth Kirkland, Executive Director of the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County, moderated a discussion on Health Care and the Economy, with participation from Bryan Desloge, a Leon County Commissioner and CEO of Desloge Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment, and Bruce Reuben, President of the Florida Hospital Association.

In a discussion on Health Outcomes and Information Technology analysis, Dr. Dan Kaelin, Chairman of the Big Bend Regional Healthcare Information Organization, and Dr. James Story, Archbold Memorial Hospital, shared information about the ongoing work in the region of extending health care service through telemedicine and electronic medical records.

Community Design and Education was the fourth and final panel discussion. Rob Palmer, ULI North Florida, moderated a discussion that included presentations from Daniel Parker, Assistant Division Director at the Florida Department of Health; Eric Stern, Curriculum Development and School Improvement Administrator in Palm Beach County School District; and Robin Safley, Capital Health Plan Champions Program.

The Forum concluded with a Luncheon and keynote address from Russell Allen, President and CEO of BioFlorida.

The ORT forum series was developed to elevate key community and regional conversations, establish partners and find solutions. Health and health care in communities are considered (next to education, workforce and quality of life) critical elements of a thriving and competitive economy. This forum will begin with a snapshot of our region’s health followed by informative panel discussions on components that affect health outcomes. All panels consist of local and regional experts and will conclude with a luncheon presentation.

Keynote Speaker:
Bruce Rueben, President, Florida Hospital Association

Four Panel Topics:

• State Of The Region On Health
• Health Care And The Economy
• Health Outcomes And Information Technology
• Built Environment Impacts On Health

Panelists & Moderators:

Dr. James Ammons, President, FAMU
Dr. Ken Brummel-Smith, M.D., FSU College of Medicine
Bryan Desloge, Commissioner, Leon County
Mary Goble, MSN, RN
Jason Hight, Public Health Analyst, Florida Department of Health
Dr. Dan Kaelin, M.D., Vascular Surgeon; Chairman, Big Bend Regional Healthcare Information Organization
Daniel Parker, Assistant Division Director, Division of Environmental Health, Florida Department of Health
Dr. James L. Story, Jr., M.D., Archbold Hospital
Dr. Scott Whiddon, M.D., Tallahassee Memorial Family Medicine

When & Where:
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
FSU Turnbull Conference Center
555 W Pensacola Street

Cost:
$25.00 per person including lunch

REGISTER HERE

Download the printable flyer HERE

All presentations have been posted.

The Tallahassee Democrat reported on the event.

We all know that transportation systems are important components for economic development and day-to-day mobility. However, demographic trends, the creative class, emerging economies and the demand for “quality of place” will require, and even demand that communities and regions contain a “competitive infrastructure set” that includes broadband/communications; sustainable energy/power grid; and green infrastructure that views water resources as assets.

See Agenda and Flyer for more information.

Register today!

Please plan to attend the Infrastructure for the New Economy Forum on June 9th from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm at the FSU Conference Center (Turnbull Center). This forum is a joint ORT, Leon Co/Tallahassee EDC, and Urban Land Institute program.

FSU Conference Center (Turnbull Center)
555 West Pensacola Street
Tallahassee, FL 32306

For more information, contact Rob Palmer, Projects Director for Our Region Tomorrow (ORT) at rob@ourregiontomorrow.org, 850-224-8116, ext 3105 or visit www.ourregiontomorrow.org.

When: Monday, May 10, 2010
Time: 9:00 – 10:30 am
Where: Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory
3618 Coastal Highway 98
St Teresa, FL 32358-2702 [map]
www.marinelab.fsu.edu

Confirmed participants include:

• Dr. Felicia Coleman, Oil Spill Academic Task Force; Director, Florida State University Coastal & Marine Laboratory
• State Senator Al Lawson
• State Representative Leonard Bembry
• David Mica, Office of Governor Charlie Crist
• Jerry Smithwick, Florida Chief of Staff for Congressman Allen Boyd
• Adele Griffin, North Florida Regional Director, U.S. Senator George LeMieux
• Ryan Tyson, District Aide, State Senator Charlie Dean
• Cameron Cooper, Director, Office of Legislative Affairs, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
• Yvonne Gsteiger and Amber Hughes, Cabinet Aides, CFO Alex Sink
• Scott Nelson, Wakulla County Emergency Management Director
• Dr. David Heil, Division of Aquaculture, Florida Department of Agriculture
• Chairman Howard Kessler, Wakulla County Commission
• Mayor John Marks, City of Tallahassee
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
• Franklin County
• Wakulla County
• Jefferson County
• Taylor County
• Apalachicola Riverkeepers
• US Coast Guard (pending)

The oil spill will be affect all sectors. All concerned citizens and community leaders who want to be educated on the issue and be part of a solution for our region: local governments, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, conservancy non-profits and environmental groups, educators, volunteer organizers… all concerned citizens.

Agenda Highlights

• County emergency response team briefings from the four coastal counties within ORT (Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla, Franklin)
• State of Florida EOC briefing
• Briefing from members of the State University System-wide Oil Spill Academic Task Force
• Call to Action: How can the 10-county region prepare and work together in the event this critical disaster directly affects our shoreline?

http://oilspill.fsu.edu/
http://flbog.org/documents/67Release_5_3_2010.pdf

On April 20, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig, operating off the coast of Louisiana, led to a massive ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Efforts to seal the leak have been hampered by a number of factors, notably the depth of the well (5,000 feet below sea level). The leak has been estimated at approximately 5,000 barrels—or 210,000 gallons—of crude oil per day.

The dimensions of the oil slick were estimated on May 3 to be approximately the area of Delaware, which is nearly 2,500 square miles.[1] By May 5, the slick was estimated at 3,850 square miles.

By order of Gov. Charlie Crist, the following Florida counties—including all four ORT coastal counties—are under a state of emergency: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Levy, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota.

“TechExpo 2010: The Power of 10″ will cover four aspects of IT: cloud computing and virtualization; technology and the economy; social media and communication; and information security and infrastructure, TalTech Chair Chet Hall said. Exhibits are planned as well.

“Our cap is 200 attendees. That’s what we were shooting for when we got started, and we are 10 shy of that,” Hall said Monday regarding expo registrations to date.

The “Power of 10″ theme highlights the year, the start of a new decade, the Interstate 10 corridor and the conference length — precisely 10 hours. TechExpo will be at Tallahassee Community College’s Center for Workforce Development.

Industry veteran and Avocare CEO Lonnie Draper will speak in the morning on how two sectors – health and IT – function as a niche of their own.

Alfredo Sanchez, CEO and chairman of QoS Labs, the software company in Boca Raton, will speak at the luncheon. His topic will be “The Next Web.”

Visit www.taltech.org and click on “upcoming events” for more details

One major program that Innovation Park offers is the 2010 Technology Commercialization Grant Program that provides up to $15,000 per grant in support of local technology and research efforts. The grant is used to encourage entrepreneurs and local businesses already in existence to grow and expand the local economy. While the grant program is very competitive it provides an opportunity that might not exist in these tough economic times.

Some of the past grant recipients are:

• TEAM Simulations, LLC that commercializes technology created at Florida State University Center for Disaster Risk Policy. It primarily produces software to train and exercise over 9000 federal, state, and local government officials in the development, delivery and after-action reporting of tabletop exercises and management solutions. The grant funds were used to purchase equipment needed to develop a supplemental web utility application as well as create some marketing materials.
• Elections by the People was established in 2009 to improve the accuracy, security, and integrity of U.S. elections by developing a new and technically advanced voting system that combines the desirable features of a computer based touch-screen system with the reliability of a 100 percent voter-verified paper ballot.
• Tai-Yang Research Company (TYRC) is a technology firm working under a cooperative research agreement with the Florida State University Center for Advanced Power Systems. TYRC used the $15,000 grant award to expand its high-temperature superconducting magnet and current leads manufacturing technologies.

Innovation Park is an ideal example of what is possible and can be achieved by strategic thinkers, community support, and willingness to execute a vision.

Tallahassee Community College President Bill Law announced last week plans to construct a 576-inmate re-entry corrections facility at the TCC Public Safety Institute and the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy on U.S. Highway 90 in Midway.

This project will create jobs both in construction and in employment of instructors when the facility is completed.

“We are trying to move this forward quickly,” Law said. He said the facility when completed will help inmates improve their skills and employability.

After taking courses in various skills, and once they are released from prison, inmates will have a chance to find a job, make a living and support their families. The re-entry facility was approved by the Florida Department of Corrections.

There are several additional benefits to Gadsden County. In addition to local jobs during construction and employment of instructors, the facility will have a cafeteria and local purchasing of food, equipment, teaching supplies and more.

Hospital reopening

The second project is one that many citizens doubted would ever happen. Everyone will be happy to know that the planned opening of the reconstructed Gadsden County Hospital, barring anything unforeseen, is set for June 1.

The county has to meet a deadline of June 21, set by the Agency for Health Care Administration, to complete opening of the hospital.

The Gadsden Hospital Inc., board met Monday at the Gadsden County Hospital board room on U.S. 90 to approve the lease of the hospital facility by Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) and Capital Regional Medical Center. On Tuesday evening, the Gadsden County Commission had on its agenda approval of the lease, naming HCA/CRMC the operator of the emergency facility.

“We have already listed the equipment that is required, and it has been ordered,” said board chairman Craig McMillan, The total project cost $14 million. It will be a 24-hour emergency facility.

The lease, for five years with renewals, is for 44,000 square feet (most of the building). The county has agreed to maintain the 15-acre grounds and exterior of the building. The hospital trust income will go to HCA/CRMC, which will receive 50 percent of the surtax not already pledged toward the debt service of the $10 million bond. The remaining funds are to be used for indigent care as determined by the Gadsden County Health Council.

HCA operates 165 hospitals nationwide, and Capital Regional Medical Center is a for-profit hospital located in Tallahassee.

Gadsden County has been without a hospital for several years. Gadsden County Chairman Eugene Lamb said he was pleased at the result of these recent activities.