Utah Department of Health Office of Health Disparities
The Connection: News about overcoming health disparities in Utah

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, visits Utah

Newly confirmed U.S. Surgeon General,  Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA visited Utah yesterday with a stop at the YMCA Community Family Center in Taylorsville. Dr. Murthy is conducting a nationwide "listening tour" to hear the concerns and issues from health care leaders in all 50 states in order to gain public input to better inform decisions about future initiatives and programming. Attendees were impressed that rather than start off his tenure with a big, exciting national initiative or "declaration of war" against a disease, he wanted to get input from communities and find ways to collaborate and have collective impact. 


Pictured left to right: Jake Fitisemanu, UDOH Office of Health Disparities, Dr. Vivek Murthy,US Surgeon General, and Daela Taeoali'i-Higgs, SelectHealth
In attendance were leaders from state and local health departments, health care plans and providers.  A local resident shared his personal story of being uninsured for most of his life and the relief of finally being covered through a new Marketplace health plan.
Dr. Murthy was nominated by President Obama in November 2013 and confirmed on December 15, 2014 as the 19th United States Surgeon General.  Dr Murthy is the youngest and first Indian American to serve as Surgeon General.

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