Lehigh Valley Health Network Hosts Inaugural Community Health Symposium

More than 100 community leaders gathered to discuss important issues impacting the quality of health and social determinants of health for Allentown residents during Lehigh Valley Health Network’s (LVHN) inaugural Community Health Symposium. Keynote speakers included LVHN President and Chief Executive Officer Brian A. Nester, DO, MBA and Allentown Mayor Matthew Tuerk.

“At LVHN, we know that the health of the overall community is only as good as the least healthy segments of our community,” Nester says. “The symposium is an opportunity to learn from and support local and community partners about their insights into factors that influence health. Together, we will discuss solutions on how to improve some of the most pressing issues affecting our community’s health.”

Some of the topics covered during the event included precarious housing and food insecurity, creating a cradle-to-college/career education pipeline, LVHN’s ability to access neighborhood level data, and community well-being and mental health in a post-COVID era.

“The topics discussed created a day’s worth of insightful and engaging conversations,” said Leonard Parker Pool Institute for Health Executive Director Ed Meehan. “Although we feel the event’s objectives were successfully met, there is a collective understanding that this needs to be just one of many ongoing conversations.”

The main objective of the symposium was to learn from local, community partners about factors that influence the community’s overall health. Leaders also summarized a collective path forward and developed short-term next steps that allowed everyone to contribute to improved community well-being. Next steps following the symposium include a detailed report on frequent themes discussed in breakout group conversations, in addition to a summary of findings.