Alexandria, VA, May 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The application period for the Fourth Annual Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Award for Health Equity, presented by the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFC), is underway and members of the NAFC are encouraged to submit a nomination.
The RWJF Award for Health Equity is meant to celebrate and honor individuals across the country who excel in building a “Culture of Health and health equity” in their communities. The NAFC advances the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) vision for building a “Culture of Health” by eliminating barriers to high quality health care for the medically underserved in the United States.
“The NAFC is so proud to work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to highlight health care leaders who do exceptional work towards the goal of health equity,” NAFC President and Chief Executive Officer Nicole Lamoureux said. “So many barriers to care still exist across the country, and we’re grateful to all of the medical providers who fight for meaningful change.”
Any health care practitioner (i.e., physician, physician’s assistant, nurse, nurse practitioner, case manager, etc.) at an NAFC member organization can be nominated by a peer or Board member of their organization for their work in improving outcomes under one of six focus areas: increasing patient visit capacity, improving chronic disease outcomes, reducing emergency room utilization, improving patient compliance, establishing a collaborative health & wellness program in addition to primary care, or establishing a successful telehealth or mobile health program.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — the nation’s leading philanthropy on health and health care — developed this award program to find and honor individuals working for systemic change to address health inequities within their communities. The RWJF Awards for Health Equity is a grant program spanning seven years that has been awarded to the NAFC and other organizations spanning sectors including public health, health care, social justice, civic leadership, education, community development, and philanthropy.
Previous winners of the RWJF Award for Health Equity presented by the NAFC include Mike Espel, Pharmacy Director for the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy in Cincinnati, OH; Steve Crane, Volunteer Medical Director of The Free Clinics (TFC) in Hendersonville, NC; and Angela Settle, CEO of the West Virginia Health Right, Inc. in Charleston, WV. The winner of this year’s award will be announced at the NAFC Charitable Health Care Symposium this October in Atlanta, GA, as well as at an annual recognition and learning event at RWJF that will highlight the work of all 2019 winners.
The nomination period for this award is now open, and all nomination submissions are due by Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at 3pm EDT. For more information, please contact NAFC staff at info@nafclinics.org.
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About the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) is the only nonprofit 501c(3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of the medically underserved throughout the nation and the more than 1,400 Free and Charitable Clinics that serve them. The NAFC has earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar. Founded in 2001 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., the NAFC is working to ensure that the medically underserved have access to affordable quality health care and strives to be a national voice promoting quality health care for all. For more information about the NAFC, please visit www.nafcclinics.org. Follow the NAFC on Twitter at @NAFClinics and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NAFCClinics.