Tanner Health System’s Get Healthy, Live Well is pleased to announce a workshop led by celebrated author Terie Dreussi-Smith, M.A.Ed., called Bridges Out of Poverty.

The workshop will be on Thursday, Nov. 14, from 8 to 11:30 a.m. at City Station in Carrollton.

Bridges Out of Poverty provides a complete approach to understanding poverty in the west Georgia area and offers tools and strategies for alleviating poverty and its impact. It is designed for civic leaders, policymakers, educators and those concerned with developing sustainable solutions to poverty in their community.

Dreussi-Smith is a trainer, a consultant, a former school teacher, an adjunct faculty member for several colleges and co-author of Bridges Out of Poverty. She leads more than 100 workshops and consultations annually and is experienced in helping diverse audiences reach new understandings with practical knowledge, humor and sincerity. 

Dreussi-Smith has years of direct and midlevel management experience working with youth and adults in poverty. Her areas of expertise are health and wellness initiatives, K–12 education, higher education, alcohol and other drug prevention, community youth development and community wellness.

She lives in Greenville, South Carolina.

Bridges Out of Poverty teaches participants how to look at different scenarios through the lens of poverty — a skill that can be important for anyone who helps make policy decisions for their organization. The workshop helps communities move more individuals from poverty to self-sufficiency, reduce social costs and enhance economic development.

Tanner’s Get Healthy, Live Well is offering the workshop based on feedback from the community. Poverty was identified as one of the top concerns in the most recent Community Health Needs Assessment.

“This single issue is the largest contributor to many of the social determinants of health issues our patients and communities face,” said Denise Taylor, senior vice president and chief community health and brand officer for Tanner.

Poverty remains an ongoing concern in west Georgia. The percent of adults ages 18 to 64 living below the poverty line is 18% in Carroll County, 19% in Haralson County and 16% in Heard County, according to U.S. Census data.

“To have one of the authors of the book leading this workshop is extraordinary and will give employers, social service agencies, governments, nonprofits, educators, healthcare providers and any other interested community member tools to use in alleviating poverty in our communities,” noted Alicia Michael, rural health outreach coordinator for Tanner.

Coffee and light breakfast will be provided at the Nov. 14 workshop. The cost of registration is $10, and seating is limited.

To register, visit tanner.org/bridges.

Since 2012, Get Healthy, Live Well has been working to provide community members in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties with the resources they need to lead healthier lifestyles.

This workshop is funded in part by The Two Georgias Initiative grant from Healthcare Georgia Foundation, an independent private foundation created in 1999. Healthcare Georgia Foundation’s mission is to enable, improve and advance the health and well-being of all Georgians.This e-mail and any files or attachments transmitted with it contain information that is confidential and privileged. This information is intended only for the use of the individual(s) and entit(ies) to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, printing or use of this information is strictly prohibited and possibly a violation of federal or state law and regulations. If you have received this information in error, please contact the sender immediately and destroy all copies of this communication. (Tanner Health System MSG-FX1003)