Issue Category: Environmental Health

The Facts Hurt

«States» had the «capital_ranking» Rate of Injury Deaths in U.S.;

«States» scored a «capital_score» out of Ten on Key Indicators of Steps States can take to Prevent Injuries

Washington, D.C., May 22, 2012 (Scores were revised January 3, 2013 to reflect changes in seven state laws) – «States» had the «lower_ranking» rate of adult injury-related deaths for Americans with «rate» per 100,000 people suffering injury fatalities. Overall, the national rate is 57.9 per 100,000. The total lifetime medical costs due to fatal injury in «States» were «medical_costs».

The Facts Hurt report, released by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), concludes that millions of injuries could be prevented each year if more states adopted additional research-based injury prevention policies, and if programs were fully implemented and enforced. TFAH and RWJF worked with a committee of top injury prevention experts from the Safe States Alliance and the Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Prevention (SAVIR) to develop a set of indicators of leading evidence-based strategies that have been shown to reduce injuries and save lives.

«States» scored «total_score» out of 10 on key indicators of steps states can take to prevent injuries – nationally, 21 states scored a five or lower. Two states, California and New York, received the highest score of nine out of a possible 10, while Montana scored the lowest with two out of 10.

No. Indicator «States» Number of States Receiving Points
A “Y” means the state received a point for that indicator
1 Seat Belts: Have primary seat belt laws.
Source: Governors Highway Safety Association		 «seat_blets» 32 and Washington, D.C.
2 Drunk Driving: Mandatory ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, even first offenders.
Sources: Governors Highway Safety Association		 «drunk_driving» 17
3 Motorcycle Helmets: Universal helmet law requiring helmets for all riders.
Source: Governors Highway Safety Association		 «motorcycle» 19 and Washington, D.C.
4 Booster Seats: Meet AAP standards — require booster seats to at least the age of eight.
Source: AAP 2011 State Legislation Report		 «boost_seaters» 33 and Washington, D.C.
5 Bicycle Helmet Use: Require bicycle helmets for all children.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011 State Legislation Report		 «bicycle_helmets» 21 and Washington, D.C.
6 Intimate Partner Violence: Allow people in dating relationships to get protection orders.
Source: Break the Cycle, 2010 Survey of Teen Dating Violence Laws		 «intimate_partner_violence» 44 and Washington, D.C.
7 Teen Dating Violence: Receive an “A” in the Break the Cycle Report.
Source: Break the Cycle, 2010 Survey of Teen Dating Violence Laws		 «teen_dating_violence» 6 and Washington, D.C.
8 Concussions: Have a strong concussion law.
Source: Momsteam.com and the Network for Public Health Law		 «concussions» 43 and Washington, D.C.
9 Accidental Prescription Drug Overdose or Use: Have active prescription drug monitoring program.
Source: Alliance of States with Prescription Monitoring Programs		 «prescription_drug» 49
10 Ecodes: More than 90 percent of injury discharges of patients of emergency departments received external cause of injury codes, which help researchers track trends and develop prevention strategies.
Source: HCUP E Code Evaluation Addendum – Updated Information for 2009, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality		 «ecodes» 23
Total «score_numeric»

Injuries – including those caused by accidents and violence – are the third leading cause of death nationally, and they are the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of one and 44.

Approximately 50 million Americans are medically treated for injuries each year, and more than 2.8 million are hospitalized. Nearly 12,000 children and teens die from injuries resulting from accidents each year and around 9.2 million are treated in emergency rooms. Every year, injuries generate $406 billion in lifetime costs for medical care and lost productivity.

“There are proven, evidence-based strategies that can spare millions of Americans from injuries each year,” said Jeff Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH. “This report focuses on specific, scientifically supported steps we can take to make it easier for Americans to keep themselves and their families safer.”

The report found that many injury prevention activities have been scientifically shown to reduce harm and deaths, for instance:

  • Seat belts saved an estimated 69,000 lives from 2006 to 2010;
  • Motorcycle helmets saved an estimated 8,000 lives from 2005 to 2009;
  • Child safety seats saved around 1,800 lives from 2005 to 2009;
  • The number of children and teens killed in motor vehicle crashes dropped 41 percent from 2000 to 2009; and
  • School-based programs to prevent violence have cut violent behavior among high school students by 29 percent.

The report also identified a set of emerging new injury threats, including a dramatic, fast rise in prescription drug abuse, concussions in school sports, bullying, crashes from texting while driving and an expected increase in the number in falls as the Baby Boomer generation ages.

“Seat belts, helmets, drunk driving laws and a range of other strong prevention policies and initiatives are reducing injury rates around the country,” said Amber Williams, Executive Director of the Safe States Alliance. “However, we could dramatically bring down rates of injuries from motor vehicles, assaults, falls, fires and a range of other risks even more if more states adopted, enforced and implemented proven policies. Lack of national capacity and funding are major barriers to states adopting these and other policies.”

“While tremendous progress has been made in preventing and treating injury, it remains a leading cause of death for people of all ages and the number one cause of death for children,” said Dr. Andrea Gielen, ScD, Past President, SAVIR, and Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy. “Texting while driving, the increasing numbers of falls in older adults, domestic violence and the astonishing rise in misuse of prescription drugs mean we need to redouble our efforts to make safety research and policy a national priority.”

The report was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is available on TFAH’s website at www.healthyamericans.org.

Score Summary:

A full list of all of the indicators and scores, listed below, is available along with the full report on TFAH’s web site at www.healthyamericans.org and RWJF’s Web site at www.rwjf.org. For the state-by-state scoring, states received one point for achieving an indicator or zero points if they did not achieve the indicator. Zero is the lowest possible overall score, 10 is the highest. The data for the indicators are from a number of sources, including: the Governors Highway Safety Association; the American Academy of Pediatrics; Break the Cycle; the Network for Public Health Law; momsTeam.com; the Alliance of States with Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs; and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

9 out of 10: California and New York
8 out of 10: Hawaii, Maryland, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington
7 out of 10: Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico and Tennessee
6 out of 10: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin
5 out of 10: Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and West Virginia
4 out of 10: Mississippi and Nevada
3 out of 10: Idaho, Kentucky, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming
2 out of 10: Montana

STATE-BY-STATE INJURY DEATH RANKINGS

Note: Rates include all injury deaths for all ages, for injuries caused by accidents and violence (intentional and unintentional) 1 = Highest rate of injury fatalities, 51 = lowest rate of injury fatalities. Rankings are based on combining three years of data (2007-2009) from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System to “stabilize” data for comparison purposes. The data are age-adjusted using the year 2000 to standardize the data. This methodology, recommended by the CDC, compensates for any potential anomalies or usual changes due to the specific sample in any given year in any given state. The numbers are based on how many deaths per 100,000.

1. New Mexico (97.8); 2. Montana (86.5); 3. Alaska (85.8); 4. Wyoming (84.7); 5. Mississippi (84.3); 6. Oklahoma (83); 7. West Virginia (82.2); 8. Louisiana (80.1); 9. Arkansas (76.9) 10. (tie) Alabama and Kentucky (76.5); 12. Tennessee (75.6); 13. South Carolina (71.7); 14. Nevada (71.3); 15. Arizona (70.7); 16. Missouri (70.2); 17. Colorado (67.8); 18. Florida (66.8); 19. North Carolina (66); 20. Idaho (65.3); 21. Utah (64.8); 22. Georgia (61.4); 23. Vermont (61.3); 24. Oregon (61.2); 25. North Dakota (61.6); 26. South Dakota (60.7); 27. (tie) Indiana and Kansas (60.4); 29. Washington, D.C. (60.2); 30. Pennsylvania (59.4); 31. (tie) Maine and Wisconsin (58.7); 33. Texas (58.5); 34. Washington (58.1); 35. Delaware (56.9); 36. Michigan (56.8); 37. Maryland (56.1); 38. Ohio (55.9); 39. Virginia (53.4); 40. Iowa (52.5); 41. Nebraska (51.3); 42. Minnesota (51.2); 43. Rhode Island (50.4); 44. New Hampshire (50); 45. Illinois (48.7); 46. Hawaii (48.3); 47. Connecticut (47.9); 48. California (47.6); 49. Massachusetts (41.1); 50. New York (37.1); New Jersey (36.1).

Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. www.healthyamericans.org

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. Helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need – the Foundation expects to make a difference in our lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

The Safe States Alliance is a national, non-profit organization and professional association whose mission is to serve as the national voice in support of state and local injury and violence prevention professionals engaged in building a safer, healthier America.

SAVIR is a national professional organization dedicated to fostering excellence in the science of preventing and treating violence and injury. Our vision is a safer world through violence and injury research and its application to practice.

Ready or Not? 2011

Report Finds Preparedness for Bioterror and Health Emergencies Eroding in «state»

Cuts to Key Programs Could Hurt Ability to Detect and Respond to Crises

Washington, DC, December 20, 2011 – The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released the ninth annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism today, which finds key «state» programs that detect and respond to bioterrorism, new disease outbreaks and natural or accidental disasters are at risk due to federal and state budget cuts.

Some key programs at risk due to continued cuts to federal public health emergency preparedness funds include:

  • 51 of the 72 cities«cities_at_risk» in the Cities Readiness Initiative are at risk for elimination; the Initiative supports the ability to rapidly distribute and administer vaccines and medications during emergencies;
  • «chemical_testing» This would leave the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the only public health lab in the country with full ability to test for chemical terrorism and accidents;
  • 24 states, «epidemiology» «state», are at risk for losing the support of Career Epidemiology Field Officers – CDC experts who supplement state and local gaps to rapidly prevent and respond to outbreaks and disasters, such as during the H1N1 flu pandemic and responding to the health impact of the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010;
  • Support for all of the nation’s preparedness research and training centers is at risk for elimination«university_research»; and
  • The ability for CDC to mount a comprehensive response to nuclear, radiologic and chemical threats as well as natural disasters is at risk due to potential cuts to the National Center for Environmental Health. All 50 states and Washington, D.C. would lose the support CDC provides during these emergencies.

«funding»

“We’re seeing a decade’s worth of progress eroding in front of our eyes,” said Jeff Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH. “Preparedness had been on an upward trajectory, but now some of the most elementary capabilities – including the ability to identify and contain outbreaks, provide vaccines and medications during emergencies, and treat people during mass traumas – are experiencing cuts in every state across the country.”

Combined federal, state and local budget cuts mean public health departments can no longer sustain a number of basic elements of preparedness. In the past year, 40 states and Washington, D.C. cut state public health funds – with 29 of those states and D.C. cutting their budgets for a second year in a row and 15 states for three years in a row. Federal funds for state and local preparedness declined by 38 percent from fiscal year (FY) 2005 to 2012 (adjusted for inflation) – and additional cuts are expected under budget sequestration.

“Americans expect the public health system to have the capability to competently protect their health during emergencies. This is not an optional service,” said Mel Kohn, MD, MPH, State Health Officer and Public Health Director of the Oregon Health Authority. “We will be unable to absorb reductions of this magnitude simply by finding efficiencies. We have reached the point where our ability to do this work will be seriously compromised, with life and death consequences.”

“During the anthrax attacks and Hurricane Katrina, we witnessed what happens when public health doesn’t have the technology, resources, workforce or training needed to respond to emergencies,” said James S. Marks, Senior Vice President and Director of the Health Group of RWJF. “The old adage is that it’s better to be safe than sorry. Unfortunately if we ignore preparedness now, we’ll be sorry later when the next emergency strikes.”

The report includes a series of recommendations that will be important for improving America’s preparedness, including:

  • Assuring dedicated funding and strengthening the public health preparedness core capabilities;
  • Improving biosurveillance to rapidly detect and track outbreaks or attacks;
  • Improving research, development and manufacturing of vaccines and medications;
  • Enhancing the ability to provide care for a mass influx of patients during emergencies;
  • Providing better support to help communities cope with and recover from disasters; and
  • Coordinating food safety with other preparedness efforts through the strategic implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011.

Detailed Findings Summary

The 51 cities at risk for elimination from the Cities Readiness Initiative include: Albany and Buffalo, NY; Albuquerque, NM; Anchorage, AK, Baltimore, MD; Baton Rouge and New Orleans, LA; Billings, MT; Birmingham, AL; Boise, ID; Burlington, VT; Charleston, WV; Charlotte, NC; Cheyenne, WY; Cincinnati and Columbus, OH; Columbia SC; Des Moines, IA: Dover, DE; Fargo, ND; Fresno, Riverside, Sacramento and San Jose, CA; Hartford and New Haven, CT; Honolulu, HI; Indianapolis, IN; Jackson, MS; Kansas City, MO: Little Rock, AR; Louisville, KY; Manchester, NH; Memphis and Nashville, TN; Milwaukee, WI; Oklahoma City, OK; Omaha, NE: Orlando and Tampa, FL; Peoria, IL; Portland, ME; Portland, OR; Providence, RI; Richmond and Virginia Beach, VA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Antonio, TX; Sioux Falls, SD; Trenton, NJ; Wichita, KS.

The 21 cities NOT at risk for elimination from the Cities Readiness Initiative include: Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Cleveland, OH; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Detroit, MI; District of Columbia; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, CA; Miami, FL; Minneapolis, MN; New York City, NY; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO.

The 10 state labs at risk for losing “Level 1” chemical testing abilities: California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin.

The 24 states at risk to lose Career Epidemiology Field Officers: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming.

The 14 universities at risk to lose Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center funds: Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health; Harvard University School of Public Health; Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health; Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health; University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health; University of Albany SUNY School of Public Health; University of Arizona College of Public Health; University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health; University of Iowa College of Public Health; University of Minnesota School of Public Health; University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health; University of Oklahoma College of Public Health; University of South Florida College of Public Health; University of Washington School of Public Health.

The nine universities at risk to lose Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center fund: Emory University; Harvard School of Public Health; Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health; University of California at Berkley and Los Angeles; University of Minnesota; University of North Carolina; university of Pittsburgh; University of Washington.

Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. www.healthyamericans.org

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. Helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need–the Foundation expects to make a difference in our lifetime. For more information, visit rwjf.org

Health Problems Heat Up: Climate Change and the Public’s Health

«state» «haveNotHave»

Media Contact: Laura Segal (202) 223-9870 x 27 or [email protected].

(October 26, 2009, Washington, DC) — Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) released a new report today that finds only five states have published a strategic climate change plan that includes a public health response. The five states include California, Maryland, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Washington. This includes planning for health challenges and emergencies expected to develop from natural disasters, pollution, and infectious diseases as temperatures and sea levels rise.

Twenty-eight additional states«haveaplan» have published a strategic climate change plan, but the plan does not include a public health response to climate change. Seventeen states«donthaveaplan» have not published a strategic climate change plan.

The Health Problems Heat Up: Climate Change and the Public’s Health report examines U.S. planning for changing health threats posed by climate change, such as heat-related sickness, respiratory infections, natural disasters, changes to the food supply, and infectious diseases carried by insects.

“The changing environment has serious ramifications for our health,” said Jeff Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH. “In the near future, more extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and worsening air quality mean we’ll see an upswing in climate-related illnesses and injuries. As countries around the world work to address climate change, federal, state, and local governments around the United States need to ramp up activities to protect people from the harms it poses to our health.”

“States are already overwhelmed by existing public health responsibilities, so we face a serious challenge as we see these new climate change related problems on the horizon. States and communities will need more resources to effectively plan and prepare for them,” Levi continued.

The report contains a number of state-based indicators related to efforts in the state or federal funding the state has received to prepare for public health implications of climate change.

«state»: Climate Change Public Health Indicators
1. Is «state» one of five states that have published a climate change plan detailing the role of public health in preventing and preparing for climate change? «publicRole»
2. Is «state» one of 12 states that have a climate change commission or advisory panel that includes a representative from the state department of public health? «stateCommission»
3. Is «state» one of 22 states that received grants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for Environmental Health Tracking in 2009? «cdcEnvironmental»
4. Is «state» one of 33 states that received grants from the CDC for asthma prevention in 2009? «cdcAsthma»
5. Is «state» one of 49 states that received funding for an Arbovirus Vector-borne Disease Surveillance System (ArboNET) — used to track diseases spread through mosquitoes and other insects — in 2009? «arbovirus»

According to Health Problems Heat Up, communities across the United States are at-risk for negative health effects associated with climate change. Urban communities face natural disasters, such as floods and heat waves. Rural communities may be threatened by food insecurity due to shifts in crop growing conditions, reduced water resources, heat, and storm damage. Costal and low-lying areas could see an increase in floods, hurricanes, and tropical storms. Mountain regions are at risk of increasing heat and vector-borne diseases due to the melting of mountain glaciers and changes in snow melt. And communities around the country could experience new insect-based infectious diseases that used to only be affiliated with high temperature regions.

The report contains a series of policy recommendations, including:

  • Congress should provide funding for state and local health departments to conduct needs assessments and strategic planning for public health considerations of climate change;
  • The White House and the federal interagency working group on climate change should take into account the potential health implications of policies and programs under consideration;
  • Congress should increase support for tracking of environmental effects on health and research into the health effects of climate change;
  • CDC should set national guidelines and measures for core public health functions related to climate change, and in exchange for federal funding for climate change planning and response, CDC should require states and localities to report the findings to both the public and the federal government;
  • All state and local health departments should include public health considerations as part of climate change plans, including conducting needs assessments, developing strategic plans, and creating public education campaigns; and
  • Special efforts must be made to address the impact of climate change on at-risk and vulnerable communities.

The U.S. Senate is in the process of developing comprehensive climate change legislation. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a climate change bill that would direct the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to create a national strategic action plan on climate change. This plan would encourage health professionals to prepare for and respond to the impact of climate change on public health in the United States and globally. The House bill also includes a Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Fund to provide the funds needed to develop and carry out the strategic plan.

The full Health Problems Heat Up report, including state-specific information, is available on TFAH’s web site www.healthyamericans.org. The report was supported by a grant from The Pew Environment Group, which is the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority.

Trust for America’s Health Releases Blueprint for Modernizing Public Health for the Presidential Transition and Next Congress

October 21, 2008

Washington, D.C. – Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) today released a Blueprint for a Healthier America: Modernizing the Federal Public Health System to Focus on Prevention and Preparedness with recommendations for the next Administration and Congress on ways to improve the health of Americans. More than 150 experts and organizations helped identify gaps and fixes for federal public health agencies and programs through a year-long consensus-building process.

“America’s public health system is broken. Serious gaps exist in the nation’s ability to safeguard health, putting our families, communities, states, and the country at risk,” said Jeff Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH. “This Blueprint reflects ideas from the best and the brightest minds in public health for ways to prevent disease, prepare for disasters, and bring down health care costs.”

Even though the United States spends more than $2 trillion annually on health care, tens of millions of Americans suffer from preventable diseases and major vulnerabilities exist in the nation’s preparedness to respond to health emergencies.

Some highlighted recommendations in the Blueprint include:

  • Setting new, realistic short and long-term health goals for the country;
  • Investing in disease prevention as a cornerstone of health care reform;
  • Ensuring a stable and reliable funding stream for core public health functions and preventive services, such as immunizations and screening, public health emergency preparedness, and promoting physical activity, good nutrition, and smoking prevention.
  • Creating an independent, science-driven National Public Health Board;
  • Implementing a National Health and Prevention Strategy focused on lowering disease rates, including a strategy to combat obesity;
  • Increasing accountability by tying tax-payer investments to improving the health of Americans and improving federal, state, and local coordination;
  • Addressing the public health workforce crisis with stepped-up recruitment efforts;
  • Clearly defining public health emergency preparedness and response roles and responsibilities;
  • Establishing an emergency health benefit for use by uninsured and underinsured Americans during major disasters and disease outbreaks; and
  • Fixing the food safety system.

The Blueprint contains an analysis showing a shortfall of $20 billion annually — across state, local, and federal government — in funding for critical public health programs in the U.S., based on research conducted by The New York Academy of Medicine and a panel of leading experts. Approximately $1 billion of this shortfall is due to cuts to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) budget from fiscal year 2005 levels.

The Blueprint calls for establishing a stable, reliable funding stream for public health and provides options for funding mechanisms to make up the $20 billion shortfall by increasing federal spending by $12 billion and state and local spending by $8 billion annually over the next four to five years. TFAH recently issued a report that found that an investment of $10 per person per year in proven community-based programs to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking and other tobacco use could save the country more than $16 billion annually within five years.

The Blueprint was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

View the complete document

Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. Helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need–the Foundation expects to make a difference in our lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

Contact

Liz Richardson
202-223-9870 x21
[email protected]

Laura Segal
202-223-9870 x27
[email protected]