Cobb County Public Library and Morehouse School of Medicine are launching a partnership to address gaps in lifelong health outcomes in communities across the county. The kickoff event for the partnership is Access Granted: Courageous Conversations to Advance Health Equity at Powder Springs Library, 4181 Atlanta St. in Powder Springs, on Wednesday, September 13 at 3 p.m.   

“Cobb libraries embrace the key role of serving as a community connector,” said CCPL South Region Manager Jo Lahmon. “We are proud of the whole range of health and wellness programs and partnerships our libraries have delivered over the years. The partnership with MSM is about striving even stronger to change lives.”  

Tabia Henry Akintobi, Ph.D., MPH of Morehouse School of Medicine, is the featured keynote speaker for the Sept. 13 event.  The Mableton resident is Professor and Chair of Community Health and Preventive Medicine and Associate Dean of Community Engagement. A nationally and internationally recognized public health leader and communicator, Dr. Akintobi is co-editor of Black Health in the South (2023) and co-author of The Morehouse Model: How One School of Medicine Revolutionized Community Engagement and Health Equity (2021).  

“Where you live potentially impacts how long you live – place matters,” Dr. Akintobi said. “The communities and neighborhoods that we partner with really bear the brunt of health disparities, whether it’s low birth weight, breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, or hypertension. We are clear, however, that existing strengths of communities must be amplified and brought together to make a difference.”   

Dr. Akintobi said the MSM Office of Community Engagement plans to leverage Cobb libraries as partners to raise awareness and promote action to target health challenges for positive change.   

“We know that people engage with people they trust,” Akintobi said. “Public libraries are at the heart of the community and essential for promoting meaningful, healthy living.”