About the Institute

Fall Creek Falls State Park is a state park in Van Buren and Bledsoe counties in lower Cumberland Plateau region of Middle Tennessee. The 20,000-acre park is centered on the upper Cane Creek Gorge, an area known for its unique geological formations and scenic waterfalls. The park's namesake is the 256-foot Fall Creek Falls, the highest free-fall waterfall east of the Mississippi River.

• VISION

  TNIPH is a lead statewide convener of organizations, agencies and groups to build and foster the collaborations necessary to improve the public's health.

• MISSION

  The mission of the TNIPH, as a free-standing independent entity, is to foster measurable improvements in the health and wellness of all Tennesseans through conducting and promoting statewide multi-sector initiatives, including data driven planning, health education and public awareness, and research and advocacy for effective health-related policy.

• BY-LAWS

  PREAMBLE

  Public Acts 2007, Chapter 42 charged the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, in consultation with others, to develop the Tennessee Institute of Public Health (TNIPH). Through a memorandum of agreement dated October 15, 2009 between THEC and East Tennessee State University (ETSU), ETSU assumed responsibility for the development and management of the TNIPH.

  ARTICLE I NAME

  The name of this organization shall be the Tennessee Institute of Public Health (TNIPH).

  ARTICLE II VISION AND MISSION

  Vision Statement

  The Tennessee Institute of Public Health is a lead statewide convener of organizations, agencies, and groups to build and foster the collaborations necessary to improve the public's health.

  Mission Statement

  The mission of the Tennessee Institute of Public Health is to foster measurable improvements in the health and wellness of all Tennesseans through conducting and promoting statewide multi-sector initiatives, including data driven planning, health education and public awareness, and research and advocacy for effective health-related policy.

  ARTICLE III GOALS

  In all activities, TNIPH shall be governed by the goals outlined below. These goals and a strategic plan for addressing these specific goals shall be reviewed and updated annually by the TNIPH Advisory Board. These goals may be modified by a simple majority of the Advisory Board.

  1. As a neutral convener, TNIPH will facilitate new and strengthen existing relationships among stakeholders interested in the health of Tennesseans. It will do so in order to create a model for effective collaborative response to health issues in Tennessee.
  2. TNIPH will strive to become a self-supporting sustainable organization.
  3. TNIPH will provide leadership in strategic thinking and analysis of issues impacting health and wellness of Tennesseans; it will provide guidance for statewide approaches for improvement.
  4. TNIPH will highlight improvements in health outcomes and exemplary programs in order to share information about successful models.

  ARTICLE IV ADVISORY BOARD

  General advice and direction for the Institute will be provided by an Advisory Board. The Advisory Board shall consist of the following members:

  1. Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission or designee;
  2. Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents or designee;
  3. President of the University of Tennessee system or designee;
  4. President of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association or designee;
  5. Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health or designee;
     Commissioner of Education or designee;
  6. Commissioner of Economic & Community Development or designee;
  7. President of the Tennessee School Boards Association or designee;
  8. President of the Tennessee Hospital Association or designee;
  9. President of the Tennessee Medical Association or designee;
  10. President of the Tennessee Public Health Association or designee;
  11. President of the Rural Health Association of Tennessee or designee;
  12. President of the Tennessee Nurses Association or designee;
  13. Chair of the Senate General Welfare, Health & Human Resources Committee or designee;
  14. Chair of the House Health & Human Resources Committee or designee;
  15. Executive Director of Tennessee Commission on Children & Youth or designee;
  16. Representative of American Association of Retired People (AARP), TN Chapter;
  17. Executive Director of the Tennessee Business Roundtable or designee;
  18. Director of the Tennessee Division of Health Planning, Tennessee Department of Finance & Administration or designee;
  19. One health science student representative from each Grand Division of the State elected by the Student Section of the Tennessee Public Health Association;
  20. One representative from each higher education institution in the State offering a training program in Public Health or a closely related field.

  The Advisory Board may, by simple majority, vote to extend membership to other organizations, in an effort to assure that all voices or organizations dedicated to improving health in Tennessee have a representation on the Board.

  Board members shall receive no compensation for their services, though they may be compensated for execution against specific funded projects.

  Members currently serving on the TNIPH Advisory Board may continue to serve by submitting a formal request to the Executive Director within thirty (30) days of the adoption of these By-Laws.

  ARTICLE V MEETINGS AND QUORUM

  The Advisory Board shall hold at least two (2) meetings per year, at least one of which will be a face-to-face meeting, to be held in a central location. Other meetings may be held by teleconference, videoconference, webinar, or at other locations throughout the State.

  A quorum of the Board will be represented by half of the members, plus one (1).

  No meeting of the Board shall be held or official action taken on any matters concerning the Board unless all members have been notified by mail or email at least two (2) weeks in advance of the time and place of such meetings.

  Board actions may be taken electronically by unanimous written consent according to appropriate federal and state regulations.

  ARTICLE VI BOARD DUTIES

  Duties of the Advisory Board include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Seek to secure outside funding that will permit the continued operation of TNIPH;
  2. Bi-annually review the funding and operation of TNIPH;
  3. Identify priority areas for future TNIPH action;
  4. Provide general advice and guidance to TNIPH administration;
  5. Have the authority, by two thirds vote, to amend the TNIPH By-Laws to serve as guiding principles;
  6. Set the time and place for the Annual meeting.

  ARTICLE VII EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND OTHER COMMITTEES

  The Executive Director, with Board approval, may appoint an Executive Committee.  Duties of the Executive Committee may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Enhance TNIPH participation through recruiting and retention efforts to impact and improve effectiveness;
  2. Assist with strategies for securing outside funding;
  3. Advise the Executive Director and staff on TNIPH operations and activities;
  4. Review recommendations for annual updates to the TNIPH strategic plan, goals, and By-Laws.
  5. The Executive Director, with Board approval, may appoint other committees and sub-committees as necessary.

  ARTICLE VIII PARTICIPATION

  All Tennesseans shall be eligible to participate in TNIPH activities in accordance with the provisions of these By-Laws. Participation includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  1. Participation includes notification of public meetings of TNIPH and, as appropriate, an invitation to comment on reports and other materials under development by TNIPH;
  2. Participation does not include voting privileges or other actions of governance for TNIPH;
  3. Formal participation may be initiated by contacting TNIPH staff or an individual board member or by referring to relevant information on the TNIPH website at www.etsu.edu/tniph.

  ARTICLE IX FUNDS AND DISBURSEMENT

  All TNIPH funds shall be managed by ETSU in accordance with appropriate State of Tennessee rules & regulations, and in a manner consistent with the requirements of the funding source(s).

  ARTICLE X PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

  The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these By-Laws.

• LEADING HEALTH INDICATORS

  HEALTHY TENNESSEE 2020

  Healthy Tennessee 2020:  An Initiative of the Tennessee Institute of Public Health

  Healthy Tennessee 2020 is an initiative to develop a comprehensive, statewide health promotion and disease prevention agenda with the single, overarching purpose of promoting health by preventing illness, disability, and premature death.  Healthy Tennessee 2020 is built on the highly successful Healthy People model, which has, since 1980, served as the Nations comprehensive ten year health planning report. Starting with Healthy People 2010, released in 2000, the plans have included a Leading Health Indicators section. This section extracts a few key health indicators from the larger document and identifies a small number of benchmark measures to follow over time. Following the release of Healthy People 2010, many States developed State-specific plans. Tennessee was one of the few states that did not develop such a plan. By identifying the 16 leading health challenges facing Tennessee, Healthy Tennessee 2020 will serve as a State-specific set of ten year health objectives for Tennessee to achieve and as a roadmap for health planners, medical practitioners, educators, elected officials, and others who strive to improve the publics health and quality of life in Tennessee.

  To create Healthy Tennessee 2020, the Tennessee Institute of Public Health (TNIPH) identified 16 leading health challenges facing Tennessee, and, for each of the 16, establish two ten year targets for the State to achieve. Where possible, the TNIPH will turn to existing expert groups to recommend the ten year targets. Each year, the TNIPH will report on progress toward achieving the targets and create and publicize a progress report. To this end, the TNIPHs board of directors has identified 16 Leading Health Indicators that represent Tennessees top health challenges in 2011. The TNIPH will publish an annual report to highlight progress being made to meet goals and objectives as well as to feature the best practices in public health occurring in Tennessee.

  The TNIPH is an official statewide entity managed by East Tennessee State University (ETSU) within the College of Public Health. TNIPH is a lead convener of organizations, agencies, and groups to build and foster the collaborations necessary to improve the publics health. An active TNIPH Board of Directors includes expert representation from major higher education institutions, professional associations of healthcare providers and institutions, and state government leaders and elected officials.  Dr. Randy Wykoff, Dean of the ETSU College of Public Health, serves as TNIPH Executive Director. Ginny Kidwell, Program Director, oversees day to day operations and project management for the TNIPH.

  TENNESSEE TOP SIXTEEN LEADING HEALTH INDICATORS

  Behavioral Factors

  A)     Alcohol and Substance/Prescription Drug Abuse

  B)     Overweight and Obesity

  C)     Physical Activity

  D)    Tobacco Use

  E)     Unhealthy Diet

  F)     Responsible Sexual Behavior

  Chronic Disease

  A)     Cancer

  B)     Diabetes Mellitus

  C)     Heart Disease and Stroke

  D)     Mental Health/Depression

  Social Conditions

  A)     Access to Healthcare including Preventive Care

  B)     Economic Opportunity

  C)     Educational Achievement

  D)    Health Disparities

  E)    Infant Mortality/Low Birth Weight

  F)    Occupational/Environmental Safety

• STRATEGIC PLAN

  Vision Statement

  TNIPH will be a lead statewide convener of organizations, agencies and groups to build and foster the collaborations necessary to improve the publics health. 

  TNIPH Mission

  The mission of the TNIPH, as a free-standing independent entity, is to foster measurable improvements in the health and wellness of all Tennesseans through conducting and promoting statewide multi-sector initiatives, including data driven planning, health education and public awareness, and research and advocacy for effective health-related policy.

  Goal 1: As a neutral convener, the Institute will facilitate new and strengthen existing relationships among stakeholders interested in the health of Tennesseans. It will do so in order to create a model for effective collaborative response to health issues in Tennessee.  

  Strategies:

  • Convene expert topic meetings in which players from disparate agencies (such as education, health and employment) assemble to discuss comprehensive responses to specific state-wide health issues.
  • Serve as a conduit of health information among universities, government departments, independent researchers, non profits and private sector business.  

  Goal 2: The Institute will be a self-supporting sustainable organization. 

  Strategies: 

  • Define the internal structures, processes and relationships which need to be put in place in order for the success of the long term plan of sustainability.
  • Explore opportunities for independent funding support as well as alternative funding initiatives, which might include being a membership organization.
  • Actively engage in creative solutions to increase possibility of attaining long term funding support.
  • Clearly define Board and staff roles, including decision making processes. 

  Goal 3: The Institute will provide leadership in strategic thinking and analysis of issues impacting the health and wellness of Tennesseans; it will provide guidance for statewide approaches for improvement. 

  Strategies: 

  • Conduct an initial opportunity/threat analysis with multiple stakeholders; use multiple assessment methods to explore, describe, document and describe issues.
  • Conduct public meeting(s) for testimony to identify issues, generate goals for change and discuss acceptable interventions and policy initiatives.
  • Provide annual legislative updates of health of the public and meet with governmental stakeholders (Governor, legislature, state departments, county government representatives, etc.) to discuss successes and barriers.
  • Prepare recommendations for action that span appropriate range of strategies (financing, legislation, services, education and workforce).
  • Establish and monitor improvement measurements for 3-5 years with annual media reports. 
  • Identify several major statewide health issues which might be amenable to improvement, policy assessment, and focus attention on one issue on an annual basis.
  • Issue policy briefs.

  Goal 4: The Institute will highlight improvements in health outcomes and exemplary programs in order to share information about successful models. 

  Strategies: 

  • Through local community health groups, the Institute will actively engage in communication with localities.
  • Through media and press releases, the Institute will highlight effective programs and promote statewide knowledge of successful local initiatives.
  • The Institute will present Health of the Public Award(s) to programs, persons or organizations which have conducted successful initiatives to improve the health of the public in Tennessee. 
  • Continue to promote quality improvement by disseminating health data about counties and the state and maintain a research inventory