Health and Economic Development

JHHSA 2008- Health and Economic Development in the Lower Mississippi River Delta Region, a Symposium
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Posted: 08-04-2008

Description
This symposium explores the role of health as an ‘economic engine’ in the lower Mississippi River Delta region of the United States. The health as an economic engine model proposes that health is an important and perhaps critical determinant of economic growth and development. This model is the reverse of the more commonly considered paradigm in which economic conditions are major determinants of health status. This reframing of the conventional pathway draws upon an existing and extensive internationally-based body of knowledge, predominantly from research done in Africa and Asia. We suggest, in this symposium, that the health as an economic engine model can also be applied within the United States, particularly in regions that are economically underdeveloped and have poor health. This reframing has significant implications for population health policy as public health advancement can be legitimately argued to be an investment rather than just an expense. Viewing health as an economic engine supports a call to community-based participatory action on the part of policy makers, researchers, and educators to further both public and private investment in health, particularly for children and the poor.

Dates
Ending: 2008

Status
Completed

Research Partners
University of Memphis
University of Tennesse Health Science Center
Mississippi State University, Social Science Research Center
The University of Memphis, Fogelman College of Business and Economics
Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Population and International Health
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Dreyfus Health Foundation The Rogosin Institute New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health