A New Frontier of Collaborative Discussion

Tampa Bay Health Collaborative hosts a Second Life-style virtual event to spur forth talks around workplace health equity in the Bay area. 

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (April 7, 2021) — The Tampa Bay Health Collaborative (TBHC) continues to champion health equity awareness and collaboration via novel events and networking opportunities, inviting Bay area professionals to attend April 22nd’s virtual, immersive summit, Healthy Tampa Bay: Healthier Today than Yesterday. 

The visually trailblazing summit will take place ‘in’ the Douglas Stewart campus, a virtual world designed by Virbela, created to resolve real-world challenges faced by organizations and remote workers regarding in-person communication.  After personalizing an avatar, attendees will be able to explore the virtual campus, network amongst each other, visit exhibitor booths, join breakout rooms, and more. 

Partnered with USF’s College of Public Health, the Tampa Bay Health Collaborative (TBHC) seeks to bring together professionals representing multiple sectors to address how health equity issues in the workplace affect productivity as well as how to remove the barriers that create these inequities.

TBHC emphasizes that employees who miss work due to poor health create significant costs to their employers above and beyond medical spending, disclosing that health-related productivity losses cost $1,685 per employee per year. By addressing the health equity issues in the workplace, organizations can increase productivity and reduce losses. 

Headlining the event is Dr. Kevin Sneed, tenured Professor and the founding Dean of the University of South Florida College of Pharmacy. Dr. Sneed currently serves as the Senior Associate Vice-President for USF Health. His presentation aligns with his recent interests, which include the implementation of health equity practices, application of mobile health technologies, and digital health applications. 

“Healthy Tampa Bay is TBHC’s way of starting a discussion around health equity standards in the workplace. We need to speak to the roadblocks that affect employees of all demographics and the ways it affects how our businesses operate. I would like to see a variety of sectors in Tampa Bay add their voice to the conversation,” says TBHC Executive Director, Dr. Sheron Brown.

Says Dr. Brown, “Our event promises to allow us to experience a traditional convention safely and from the comfort of our homes while fostering meaningful exchanges via this fresh, engaging platform.”  The April 22nd summit from 10 AM to 12:30 PM on Douglas Stewart’s virtual campus – seats, while free to attendees, are limited.

To register for the event and reserve your virtual seat, click here.

If you are interested in exhibiting: The Douglas Stewart virtual campus offers the unique opportunity to showcase an organization using a digital booth in the Expo Hall–similarly to a traditional booth. Booths can include an organization’s logo, favored images and links, as well as videos. On the day of the summit, PDFs of materials for distributions can be shared individually with virtual visitors. The cost to reserve a booth is $25. Booth reservations close on April 15 – click here to secure.

About Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative (TBHC): Launched in 2003, TBHC is a membership-based nonprofit organization. It is member driven and has evolved over time in response to identified needs of the membership and the community. Membership includes health and human service organizations, businesses, healthcare providers and individuals concerned and impacted by the gaps and limitations of the current system. While TBHC does not provide direct services, collectively, member organizations provide services to meet the needs of all demographic groups and address the healthcare continuum. TBHC is committed to promoting and advancing health equity through awareness, capacity-building and community collaborations. To learn more, visit http://www.tampabayhealth.org.  

About USF College of Public Health (COPH): An urban research university, the University of South Florida is home to the highest ranked public health degree program in Florida (U.S. News and World Report, 2021). Established in 1984 as the first college of public health in the State of Florida, the USF College of Public Health is a recognized leader in online education, social marketing, community health, maternal and child health and global infectious disease research. The college offers multiple concentrations that lead to BSHS, BSPH, MHA, MPH, MSPH, DrPH, and PhD degrees, as well as several dual degrees, graduate certificates and online programs. To learn more about the college and students who commit to passionately solve problems and create conditions that allow every person the universal right to health and well-being, visit www.publichealth.usf.edu.

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April 7, 20221                                        CONTACT: Sheron Brown, CEO/Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 Email: director@tampabayhealth.org Phone: (727) 204-9895