Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner John Auerbach held his fourth Southeast Regional Health Dialogue on April 16, 2010 at the at the Woodland Commons of UMass-Dartmouth. The Commissioner used the forum to announce the release of the MDPH report The Health of Massachusetts and to lead a discussion with community partners about identified local health priorities. One of eight similar forums held around the state, the event included a panel presentation on Community Wellness by leaders of the Mass In Motion projects in Fall River and New Bedford as well as the new VOICES for a Healthy SouthCoast initiative. The Commissioner then fielded questions from the audience that ranged from concerns about the high childhood lead levels in New Bedford to concern about support for local public health offices which are severely understaffed. Click to see photos from the third, second, and first Regional Health Dialogues. For more information about these dialogues, contact Southeast Mass. Regional Health Center director Ron O''Connor at 781-774-6608. (Bottom six photos courtesy Ron O'Connor)

(Top row, left ) Fairhaven Public Health Agent Patricia Fowle, Dartmouth Public Health Director Wendy Henderson, UMass Graduate School of Nursing student Claudia Mills, UMass nursing school faculty member Marie Grungo, UMass nursing school faculty member Jeanne Leffers, and Boston University Associate Dean of Public Health Harold D. Cox talk together before the start of the event. (Top row, center) Dartmouth Public Health Director Wendy Henderson welcomes the audience and praises DPH for its response to the H1N1 crisis. (Top row, right) DPH Commissioner John Auerbach describes both the achievements and the challenges of the public health system and praised the work of local public health officers and school nurses in responding to the recent H1N1 crisis. (Second row, left) New Bedford Immigrants' Assistance Center Executive Director Helena Marques holds a copy of The Health of Massachusetts, just published and available on-line. (Second row, center) New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang praises the work of the City's health department and the school nurses before underscoring the importance of all aspects of health. (Third row, left) New Bedford Mass In Motion Coordinator Pauline Hamel describes their planning progress over the past year. (Third row, center) VOICES for a Healthy SouthCoast Co-chair Donna Querim describes the objectives of that initiative. (Third row, right) Fall River Mass In Motion Coordinator Julianne Kelly talks about the process of making system, policy and environment changes. (Bottom row) Healthy City Fall River Coordinator David S. Weed, Psy.D. notes the many public health prevention efforts underway in the Southcoast before New Bedford Public Health Director Marianne DeSouza and Southeast Mass. Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Director Carmen Maiocco centered at UMass-Dartmouth.