Northeast Florida was the fourth location selected by the Clinton Foundation initiative, joining Little Rock, Arkansas; Houston; and the Coachella Valley, California. 

State Surgeon General John Armstrong was the keynote speaker at the meeting, focusing on the Department of Health’s healthy weight initiative. The planning meeting divided the approximately 100 attendees into nine subgroups that met and developed key goals and strategies. These will make up the blueprint, which will be released in spring. The Clinton Health Matters Initiative will then work with the community on implementing the plan.

The nine subgroups were:

• Disease Prevention: Sexual activity
• Clinical Care: Access to care and quality of life
• Family and social support
• Employment, education and income
• Healthy eating and food quality
• Community safety
• Substance abuse and tobacco and alcohol use
• Physical Environment: Environmental quality and built environment
• Physical Activity

Coalition Board of Directors member Joy Burgess served as the content expert for the Disease Prevention: Sexual Activity work group. The group developed five strategies:

1. Create comprehensive teen health clinics in each county
2. Expand Medicaid in Florida
3. Leverage public/private partnerships to draw down $50 million dollars in available funds through the Affordable Care Act
4. Promote health education for incarcerated teens
5. Strengthen families and create the foundation for optimal infant and young child health through programs, services and education

The Clinton Health Matters Initiative works to improve the health and well-being of all people by activating individuals, communities and organizations to make meaningful contributions to the health of others. The initiative uses the social determinants of health to drive its work.