CLARKSTON SUMMIT

On Saturday, May 14th, the Prevention Research Center at Georgia State University, a CDC-funded entity that works to address the public health disparities of refugees and immigrants in Clarkston, hosted Clarkston Summit 2022, a day-long event uniting community with research and service stakeholders to help shape the future of the Clarkston community's health and well-being.

Over 250 participants, including Clarkston residents, community organizations and leaders attended the Summit at the Georgia State University Clarkston Campus.

The morning kicked off with panel discussions relating to health, education and refugee settlement. Clarkston Mayor Beverly Burks moderated the panel, which included non-profit organizations, community leaders and questions from the audience.

"The Summit was a unique opportunity for us to connect with a broad range of partners – medical professionals, employment specialists, government officials and more – who are essential to our work and help our clients thrive. We were able to learn more about efforts to expand access to mental health care for refugees and other survivors of torture," said Darlene Lynch, Co-Chair, Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies and Head of External Relations, Center for Victims of Torture Georgia.

Attendees had a chance to visit over 30 organizations and agencies during the Summit's Expo. There were fun activities for the kids, free COVID-19 vaccinations and health screenings, plus CPR and Stop the Bleed training.

The afternoon was devoted to building solutions, establishing partnerships, and planning a way forward to address the identified topics of interest; including healthcare, mental health, resettlement, food security, affordable housing and early childhood education.

Dr. Mary Helen O'Connor, Deputy Director, Prevention Research Center at Georgia State University said, "The most exciting part of the Summit was the robust participation from our community residents. Seeing so much diversity leading the conversation and so much collaboration among participants was inspiring. It is evidence that when communities make a commitment to collaborate and share resources, they are able to solve even the most complex and critical issues."

For more information and for details about upcoming events, please visit https://prc.gsu.edu