RWJF

Health should not be a privilege, but a right. For too long, racism has permeated our social practices, laws, and policies, placing more value on some lives than others based on race, class, and other factors. Together, we can dismantle barriers to health equity and build new systems that ensure all people can thrive. How can we heal from white supremacy and create a more equitable future? Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts below.

I'm pleased to share that the Center for Health Care Strategies just released the Request for Applications for the Medicaid Leadership Institute - Class of 2025! As made possible by RWJF, the Medicaid Leadership Institute supports #Medicaid directors in strengthening the necessary leadership skills to transform their agencies and advance policy to positively impact the health of their residents. Applications are due July 15. https://bit.ly/34hxx0o Mark Larson Lauren Moran

It is a relief that the abortion pill mifepristone, a widely used, safe, and effective medication, remains available today—but its future remains very much in doubt. In a time when rates of maternal mortality are far too high and abortion rights are being increasingly curtailed and even criminalized, the Supreme Court’s decision provides only temporary reassurance rather than permanent peace of mind. Today’s ruling is focused on ‘standing,’ which is a legal term. But in our view, it also carries a more profound meaning: when it comes to the deeply personal choice about whether and when to have children, ‘standing’ belongs to the women and families making these decisions in consultation with their healthcare providers. The proper role for policymakers at all levels is to help ensure that the full range of reproductive healthcare services is available everywhere, and that cost or insurance status is never a barrier to access. Health—including all forms of reproductive healthcare—ought not to be a privilege for some but a right for all. The risk to the right remains. But the fight to secure it lives on. #ReproductiveJustice #SCOTUS

RWJF has what I promise is a very exciting job opening available. If you'd be interested in leading our Transforming Health and Healthcare Systems team and funding strategy alongside me and a brilliant, driven group of passionate colleagues, check out this opening: https://lnkd.in/ensvrWmx Please help spread the word. The Transforming Health and Healthcare Systems strategy is pursuing equitable and accountable healthcare and public health systems that are fair and just; treat all people with dignity and respect; and rectify past harms and prevent future ones.

Pools are a popular gathering place in the summer, but not everyone has access to safe, affordable places to swim, exercise, play, or escape the heat. There are communities that continue to experience the legacy of structural racism from when pools were among the most segregated public places in U.S. history.      As the U.S. Olympic Team Trials start, we’ve partnered with Cullen Jones OLY, two-time Olympian and first Black swimmer to hold a world record, to talk with fans about the #HealthEquity impacts of barriers to swimming.     VOTE: What is the greatest barrier to swimming or pool access?    WATCH: Learn how racist policies contributed to swimming disparities in the U.S. https://lnkd.in/ekcRX9XC    #RacialEquity #Paris2024 #Olympics #Sports #Poll

There are pivotal moments in our lives that force us to reexamine what we say we value and what we believe to be true. The summer of 2020, during the first intense months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world watched George Floyd's murder under the knee of a policeman was one such moment for our country. Tragically, there have been too many moments like this – before and after Mr. Floyd’s death. But that moment, and the months after, made it clear who had the privilege to not only stay healthy, but to also stay alive. Who could stay home and who had to risk their lives to feed their families. The quality and length of our lives should not depend on how much money we have, our race or disability or where we live. Health should be a right for everyone. As we have stated in the Letter to the Field, the events of four summers ago were so powerful and galvanizing that we evolved our work at RWJF to reckon more intentionally with structural racism and other monumental barriers to health that have marginalized too many for too long. We continue to share with all of you what we are learning as we learn it in an effort to hold ourselves accountable to stay the course for health equity, and we look forward to the bold leaps we will keep taking, together, to transform health in our lifetime. https://lnkd.in/evjseSiQ

Western approaches to health, research, and data collection often overlook Native communities, widening disparities in health and life expectancy between American Indian and Alaska Native peoples compared to other US populations.   In a new review from Urban Institute, Laudan (Laudy) Aron and Elizabeth Ferrara, MPH provide non-Native researchers and policymakers with resources to begin examining the biases and limitations of Western practices.   The review provides historical context, examines policies marginalizing Native communities, and showcases Native models of health and evaluation.   Make sure to check out page 25 in for ten key readings and resources by Native scholars that informed the review.   https://lnkd.in/eB5BCVrM

RWJF is hiring for a role with the Impact Investments at RWJF team, which plays an integral role in accelerating the Foundation’s goal of improving health, equity, and opportunity in places that have experienced disinvestment. Join a team committed to addressing our nation’s most pressing health issues. Apply today or tag someone in the comments who might be interested! 👇 https://rwjf.ws/4bLfII6 #ImpactInvesting #NowHiring #HealthEquity

A leader with lived experience is someone who uses their first-hand experience of a social issue to create positive change for, and with, communities and people they share those experiences with.    Another term that is often used is proximate leaders—changemakers with firsthand knowledge of their communities and a deep understanding of their unique needs and strengths. These leaders operate with the lens of the communities they reside in and have lived in. As we seek to create a healthier nation, supporting organizations with these leaders can accelerate our progress by increasing out-of-the-box thinking, collaboration, and imagination. These skills can be invaluable for advancing health equity at the local level. #CommunityDevelopment #Philanthropy #Poll  

Everyone deserves a healthy, safe future regardless of their gender identity or sexual expression. And while we have increased trans representation in our communities, within elected office, and on our screens, trans people continue to face some of the greatest barriers to health and wellbeing than any other community. J. Michael White shares how RWJF is integrating a gender-expansive equity lens into our work and investing in the needs and leadership of trans people and their families. A more equitable system that honors trans people creates a better future for everyone. https://rwjf.ws/3TigtQX