2 local Public Health officials part of ‘emerging leaders’ initiative
Pettit and Bedard look to further transform Orleans and Genesee health departments
Press Release, Orleans and Genesee County Health Departments
Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments, will work to transform the role of public health in Genesee and Orleans Counties as part of the third cohort of The Kresge Foundation’s Emerging Leaders in Public Health initiative.
Kresge’s Emerging Leaders in Public Health was designed to provide public health leaders of county and local health departments to build additional knowledge and skills the challenges public health professionals face in their communities. The initiative is designed to develop local public health leaders in pairs and each pair includes the health officer and a future leader from the public health agency.
As a team, Paul Pettit and Brenden Bedard, Deputy Director / Director of Community Health Services for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments, will be asked to challenge and support each other while building skills and competencies together.
“Public health leaders are valuable assets to our communities,” said Dr. Phyllis Meadows, senior advisor to The Kresge Foundation’s Health Program and the Emerging Leaders in Public Health lead. “Leaders in this program will have the opportunity to create meaningful and lasting change in their agencies that will positively impact those they serve.”
During the program, Pettit and Bedard will participate in an action-oriented program focused on the design and implementation of a transformative concept that shifts or expands the capacity of their local department.
They will also receive a grant up to $125,000 as well as coaching and technical assistance to evolve their ideas into action.
“We are excited to be a part of this national program,” stated Pettit. “Our project will be based on the development of a comprehensive telehealth program in Genesee and Orleans Counties to address our provider capacity and access issues.”
Pettit and Bedard join 19 other teams from across the country selected to participate in the third cohort of Emerging Leaders in Public Health. Collectively, the 20 health departments represented by cohort leaders serve nearly 10 million community members in communities across the country.
“This is a unique opportunity for our two rural counties to be on a national platform,” stated Bedard. “Not only will we be working on our project but have the opportunity to share strengths and challenges with other local health departments across the nation.”
The team will also join a growing community of public health leaders supported by The Kresge Foundation. Since 2015, 64 public health leaders have been trained through Emerging Leaders in Public Health. With the addition of Cohort III, Kresge meets its goal of providing leadership development and resources to more than 100 local, public health leaders across the country so that they can approach public health in a new way.
About The Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation was founded in 1924 to promote human progress. Today, Kresge fulfills that mission by building and strengthening pathways to opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities, seeking to dismantle structural and systemic barriers to equality and justice. Using a full array of grant, loan, and other investment tools, Kresge invests more than $160 million annually to foster economic and social change. For more information visit kresge.org.
