New Jersey Newsroom.com: Sport For The Greater Good: Global Impact, Local Effort Come Together In Princeton

September 27, 2013: Patterson Awards for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy were awarded by RWJF at its campus in Princeton, N.J., honoring the legacy of Steve Patterson, whose outstanding basketball career was surpassed only by his giving heart and dedication to improving the lives of others. Winners were recognized for giving back to their communities and using sport as a tool to better society.

USA Today: Tony Hawk Among Those in Sports Honored for Philanthropy

September 25, 2013: The Tony Hawk Foundation was recognized for supporting the creation of public skateboard parks across the country during an RWJF Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy ceremony in Princeton, N.J. Also honored were the San Francisco 49ers and LA84. The Patterson award acknowledges those in sports who demonstrate excellence, leadership, and a sustained commitment toward a mission that serves and improves the lives of others.

mobihealthnews: MIT initiative wants to turn nurses into inventors

September 25, 2013: Little Devices Lab and RWJF launched MakerNurse, an initiative to learn about systems nurses use to improve health care. The process involves sending a team out to collect stories from nurses across the country to learn about how they fix problems and improve patients’ experiences, sometimes involving technologies that they conceived on their own.

CNN.com: 5 Things to Know about Electronic Health Records

September 16, 2013: More than half of physicians have started keeping electronic medical records and about 80% of hospitals have gone digital also. Not only can they improve health, they reduce costs by cutting problems such as duplicate tests and prescription errors. Unfortunately, privacy remains an issue as well as patients’ temptation to self-medicate after reading their doctor’s notes. 

The Washington Post: Recess Can Reduce Bullying and Prepare Kids to Learn, Research Says

September 3, 2013: Safe, healthy and organized recess can be a key driver of better behavior and learning. Playworks, an RWJF-funded program, shows widespread benefits, including less bullying, more physical activity and more time for learning. Recess benefits students as well as teachers, enable schools to address a number of pressing issues at the same time.

American Medical News: ACA Expected to Cause Few Benefits Disruptions

September 2, 2013: In the early going, insurers probably won't implement alternatives to benefits standards specified by states' baseline plans, so there should be fewer disruptions to insurance markets, according to a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report. Concerns over adequacy of benefits remain.

PhillyBurbs.com: Rutgers Breaks Ground on New Nutrition Center

September 2, 2013: Rutgers University officially broke ground on the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health (IFNH) which will host six centers, including the Center for Childhood Nutrition and Education. As its first strategic initiative, the institute is focusing on childhood obesity. The project is supported by a $10 million grant by RWJF.

The Savannah Tribune: Survey Finds African Americans Hit Hard by High Health Care Costs

August 28, 2013: Inability to afford medical treatment and dealing with racism are common fears experienced by African Americans who participated in a poll sponsored by RWJF, NPR and Harvard School of Public Health. “If we’re going to create a national culture of health, we need to focus as much on factors such as education and employment as we do on providing affordable and equal access to high-quality, high-value care,” says RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD.

ABC News Blog: Tweet Chat Wrap-Up: The Big Picture on Obesity

August 21, 2013: People with lower incomes and less education continue to have the highest obesity rates, according to the annual "F as in Fat" report released by the Trust for America's Health and RWJF. ABC Health held a tweet chat to review the latest findings on obesity with top experts in the field, including researchers from The Obesity Society, The National Weight Control Registry and RWJF.

U.S. News Blog: Our Titanic Obesity Problem

August 19, 2013: Growing attention to the threat of obesity and rigorous efforts to contain it may be working at last. After decades of increases, obesity rates in the United States have leveled off, according to a report issued by the Trust for American’s Health and RWJF. The 2013 “F as in Fat” report indicates that although rates have been stabilized, they remain high, putting Americans at risk for health problems and increasing national health care costs.

philly.com: Check Up—Survey of Nurses Finds 'Moderate' Verbal Abuse

August 18, 2013: About half of 1,300 nurses surveyed reported "moderate" verbal abuse from doctors and other nurses, defined as up to five incidents in the preceding three months, according to the RWJF-funded RN Work Project. This is daunting news; another nursing shortage is predicted because almost half of American’s 3 million registered nurses are over age 50.

Kaiser Health News: Talking Scales And Telemedicine—ACO Tools To Keep Patients Out Of The Hospital

August 15, 2013: Armed with data, Accountable Care Organizations, or network of doctors and hospitals that share responsibility for providing care to patients, can prevent complications and hospital readmissions by addressing potential problems early. Unnecessary readmissions are expensive and put patients at risk, says Susan Mende, RWJF senior program officer.

HealthLeadersMedia.com: Physicians Aren't the Only Problem

August 13, 2013: Nurses who are verbally abused by physicians are more likely to verbally abuse each other. A new study by the RWJF-funded RN Work Project surveyed 1,328 newly registered nurses to find out why newly-licensed nurses have the highest turnover rate.

The Morning Call: It's Essential to Maintain, not Cut, Food Stamps

August 13, 2013: A new study by The Health Impact Project, a collaboration between RWJF and the Pew Charitable Trusts, shows that poverty and lack of food would lead to increased diseases such as diabetes. If a proposed 5.1 million people are eliminated from the food stamp program, health care costs could increase by almost $15 billion over 10 years.

The Washington Post Blog: Childhood Obesity is Falling, and the CDC has a Map to Prove It

August 8, 2013: Until now, many reductions in childhood obesity have been limited to higher-income kids. According to a new map released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is dropping among low-income preschoolers in 19 states. And last month, a joint RWJF/American Heart Association conference highlighted 11 U.S. areas with declining obesity rates.

Fox News Latino: CDC—National Childhood Obesity Rate Shows First Sign Of Decline

August 7, 2013: After decades of rising rates, and especially common among Black and Hispanic children, a significant decrease in childhood obesity is reported in a record number of states. "These signs of progress tell a clear story: we can reverse the childhood obesity epidemic. It isn't some kind of unstoppable force," said James S. Marks, MD, RWJF senior vice president and Health Group director.

Time: Why Obesity Rates are Falling Among Preschoolers

August 6, 2013: Cities and states that participated in programs to make healthy food accessible and encourage exercise were most successful in reducing childhood obesity rates. “From this aggregation, it is clear now that any community that makes these kinds of changes over a few years will see their children get healthier,” says Jim Marks, senior vice president and director of the RWJF Health Group.

Journal Star: Uncertainty Swirls Around the Federal Affordable Care Act

August 3, 2013: Although 70 percent of marketplace participants will receive federal assistance, it is not yet known if prices for health coverage will be affordable. Experts from RWJF and the Urban Institute said that only people at or below an income of 250 percent of the federal poverty level will qualify for a combination of premium and cost-sharing subsidies that make coverage through state exchanges as good or better than employer-sponsored coverage.

NJTVOnline: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Gives Money to Mental Health Association for Sandy Recovery

August 2, 2013—After a disaster, such as the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey, mental health issues often crop up many months later. In a video published on NJTVOnline, RWJF Senior Vice President and Director of the Health Care Group John Lumpkin, MD, talked about the Foundation's more than $700,000 in post-storm support for mental health services in the Garden State.

ModernHealthcare.com Blog: Foundations Offer $2 Million Challenge for Innovative Use of Health Data

August 1, 2013: The Knight News Challenge will begin accepting entries on August 19 for innovative ideas to harness data for the health of communities. The contest is a collaboration between the Knight Foundation and four charitable organizations heavily involved in health care: RWJF; the California HealthCare Foundation; the Clinton Foundation; and the Health Data Consortium.

MED City News: Wow of the Week—Could Rethinking Traditional Nursing Home Model Improve Senior Health?

July 27, 2013: The Green House Project concept allows for improved social interaction and quality of life and health for its residents. The RWJF-funded program takes a holistic approach to elder care and well-being by alleviating loneliness, helplessness and boredom, considering aging a time of development and growth.

WSJ Market Watch: Participant Media and Active Voice Launch Community Outreach Program to Spur Local Solutions to Hunger and Obesity

July 25, 2013: Two organizations are hoping to encourage collaboration among local groups to support a nationwide movement aimed at giving underserved communities greater access to healthy food, end hunger, and reverse rising obesity rates. With a grant from RWJF, Participant Media and Active Voice will show Participant's hard-hitting documentary "A Place at the Table" and host panel discussions in 25 communities.

Trenton NJ Spotlight: Team Tackles Tough Medical, Social Problems to Help City

July 22, 2013: Social problems such as urban crime and low health literacy, two of the top five health care priorities for Trenton, N.J., are among the root causes of chronic health problems in the state’s cities. Information collected through an RWJF-funded hospital patient data assessment is being used to adopt plans to meet the needs of the community.

MSNBC: Young Men of Color, Breaking the Prison Pipeline

July 22, 2013: Young men of color face daunting challenges and obstacles every day, experiencing less positive outcomes than their peers. Forward Promise, an RWJF-funded initiative, supports innovative, community-based projects working to strengthen health, education, and employment outcomes for middle and high school-aged boys and young men of color.

ABC News: Wrong ZIP Code Can Mean Shorter Life Expectancy

July 20, 2013: In many cities, different neighborhoods can have vastly different life expectancies, some lower than those of developing countries. A new series of maps released by the RWJF Commission to Build a Healthier America illustrate that just a few miles can mean a 25-year difference in life expectancy for babies born in the New Orleans area.

WHYY Newsworks: N.J. Mental Health Providers Will Expand Post-Sandy Services, Thanks to Grant

July 29, 2013: Coping with stress, anxiety and frustration resulting from super storm Sandy can take a toll on emotional health. A $700,000 grant from RWJF will allow the Mental Health Association in New Jersey to hire and train counsellors to work with N.J. residents, listening to their stories and assessing whether they need ongoing counselling. Also, community members will be trained to recognize signs of mental health issues.

Continuing Education Center: Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You

July 2013: Across America, people living just a few miles apart have dramatic differences in life expectancy, according to city maps released by RWJF. The built environment affects public health at all levels of scale. The challenge for built-environment practitioners is to predict, evaluate, and improve the health outcomes of their work after identifying neighborhood features which serve public health.

NJ.com Editorial: Turning the Corner on Obesity

July 15, 2013: Obesity rates are showing signs of leveling off, even dropping. Take a look at New York City and Philadelphia, where obesity rates fell last year, and check out Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-supported studies showing similar signs of progress throughout the U.S. Maybe we're doing something right.

TheAtlanticCities.com: Why We Need to Treat America's Poorest Neighborhoods Like Developing Countries

July 15, 2013: Most people understand that there are at times immense health disparities between the United States and other countries, particularly within the developing world. But what most people fail to appreciate is the degree to which community health differs within the United States, from one neighborhood to the next—or even from one subway stop to the next, says David Fleming, public health director and health officer for King County, Washington. RWJF has generated a series of maps illustrating these disparities.

Education Week Blog: There's More to Ending Childhood Obesity Than 'Eat Less, Walk More'

July 12, 2013: Obesity, now classified as a disease, leads to a lot of other diseases. A joint RWJF/American Heart Association conference about fighting obesity in America highlighted 11 U.S. areas with declining obesity rates. "Of course, we can set national goals ... But I think the important point is that it's important to set local goals," says RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD.

Nurse.com: Policy brief—How to Expand APRNs’ Scope of Practice

July 11, 2013: The majority of states place significant and unnecessary restrictions on APRNs, causing delays in treatment and making it difficult for APRNs to provide care in rural areas, where physicians are often scarce, says Maryjoan Ladden, RWJF senior program officer. A new policy highlights three models for better leveraging skills, knowledge, and experience of APRNs.

NJBIZ.com: Take Two Apps and Call Me in the Morning: Smartphones Play Growing Role in Medicine

July 11, 2013: Getting better health care information to patients is key to reducing costs, says John Lumpkin, RWJF senior vice president and Health Care Group director at RWJF. From patients using smartphones to show doctors snapshots of rashes to electronic health records, the shift toward health information exchanges plays a big role in national health reform.

ESPN: “Hey, Data Data – Swing!”

July 11, 2013: The obesity rate of children almost tripled between 1980 and 2010. Although only a quarter of 8th- to 12th-graders enrolled in the poorest schools played school sports, only 13 percent of boys and 18 percent of girls between 8 and 17 had never joined a team or club. This and other often hidden-away data was shared as part of ESPN's summer 2013 Kids in Sports initiative.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting: WV’s Kids Slowly Slimming Down

July 10, 2013: West Virginia communities are building exercise parks and day care centers are serving more nutritious meals. A joint initiative of RWJF and the American Heart Association is examining these and other successful programs while concerned and engaged West Virginia residents are excited about living in one of only five states with a documented reversal in childhood obesity.

fastcoexist.com: The Health Of Every County In America, Mapped And Ranked

July 9, 2013: Residents can see what drives county-level health by checking out the RWJF-funded County Health Rankings, which offers a detailed snapshot of more than 3,000 communities across the nation. There is more to health than just health care and the Rankings get communities to focus on particular issues that are relevant to them, in comparison to other communities, which minimizes disparities.

Huffington Post Blog: Calling Obesity a Disease: Is This About Health or Is It About Money?

July 9, 2013: The obesity rate in adults has doubled, and has nearly quadrupled in children, in the last 30 years. Weight loss surgery advocates are in favor of AMA’s declaration that obesity is a disease, but drugs and surgery aren’t going to fix the epidemic, which is breaking the health care system. Fortunately, obesity defined as a disease prevents people from accepting it without trying to change it.

U.S. News: U.S. Hospitals Triple Use of Electronic Health Records: Report

July 8, 2013: More than four of every 10 hospitals now uses new health information technology and 42 percent of hospitals now meet federal standards for collecting electronic health data, according to a new report released by RWJF. Researchers believe that the combination of reliance on information technology; new federal funding; and future penalties under the ACA is driving HER adoption.

The Wall Street Journal Blog: Health Care’s Digital Shift Moving Along, but Will It Meet Deadlines?

July 8, 2013: Hospitals’ use of electronic health records (EHRs) in 2012 nearly tripled since 2010, and percentages for doctors and hospitals should cross the 50% mark this year, says Michael Painter, RWJF senior program officer. The use of EHRs may dramatically cut health care costs—duplicative medical testing can be avoided if doctors can instantly access patient’s records and medical history.

Los Angeles Times: More Doctors, Hospitals Use Electronic Over Paper Medical Records

July 8, 2013: Federal incentives to drive the implementation of electronic health records are working but challenges lie ahead. According to an RWJF-funded report coauthored by Mathematica Policy Research and the Harvard School of Public Health, smaller hospitals and physician practices have been slower to adopt the new technology than larger hospitals and groups.

ModernHealthCare.com: Rural hospitals' EHR adoption rate up 257%

July 8, 2013: By 2012, there was only a slight  a difference (5 percentage points) in electronic health records adoption between hospitals with the poorest patients compared to hospitals with the most well-off patients. According to Michael Painter, RWJF senior program officer, everybody wants to get on board while federal incentives are available and before the disincentives kick in.

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The Washington Post Blog: Most hospitals Still Don’t Use Digital Records. But More Do Than Last Year!

July 8, 2013: Most hospitals are not using electronic health records, mainly due to heavy workload. But according to a new report released by RWJF, federal financial incentives have driven providers (38.2%) to adopt health information technology. RWJF Senior Program Officer Michael Painter says, “we’re making dramatic strides on adoption. The report is showing we’re approaching 50 percent of the market for hospitals.”

The New Yorker Blog: How Should Doctors Share Impossible Decisions with Their Patients?

July 5, 2013: Through the shared decision-making (S.D.M.) approach, patients’ preferences and values are part of the equation when it comes to making medical care decisions with their doctors. S.D.M. is an attempt to make medicine more humane but clinicians don’t know much about how to engage patients in decision-making in a way that actually achieves the most desired long-term outcome.

HealthLeadersMedia.com: Public Health Nurse Recruitment Barriers Detailed

July 1, 2013: Within the next five years, there may not be enough public health RNs to meet population health needs. Recruitment and retention of registered nurses is problematic as many are unsatisfied with their salaries and lack education and training resources. An RWJF-funded report quantifies the problem and its causes.

Nurse.com: The Orb Speaks for Infants

July 1, 2013: The invention of an orb-like device shows great promise in detecting pain in infant and nonverbal patients, which has been a great challenge for clinicians. The inventor reports that infant pain has often been undertreated because of possible adverse effects of analgesics such as morphine. An RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholars award supported the invention of the device.

California Healthline: Green House Grows New Model of Care

July 1, 2013: The Green House Project is a de-institutionalized care model designed to fit within current regulatory and reimbursement structures, and to nurture people of all abilities, disabilities and financial circumstances. Green Houses are staffed by certified nurse assistants called “shahbazim”, a Persian word describing caring for the elderly as an honor, resulting in improved quality of life for residents.

USA Weekend: Avoid the 'July effect'

June 27, 2013: Newly graduated medical students begin their residencies in July. RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, shares ways to avoid being readmitted during this “less-than-ideal” time to be in the hospital: Ask and repeat; have a discharge plan, know your meds, keep appointments, and spot warning signs.

Nurse.com: Public Health RNs Satisfied, but Face Challenges

June 27, 2013: Although nurses experience high levels of job satisfaction and feel they are making a difference, health departments are having difficulty filling vacant positions. A new report released by RWJF provides the first comprehensive assessment, describing the relationship between workforce infrastructure and population health outcomes.

Nurse.com: The Quest for 80%

June 26, 2013: A more educated nursing workforce is needed to meet demands of an evolving health care system. A report by the Institute of Medicine and RWJF recommends that at least 80% of nurses have BSNs by 2020. Susan Hassmiller, RN, PhD, FAAN, RWJF senior adviser for nursing, says it is important for hospital CNOs to specify that all new ADN hires get their BSN within five years.

Co.Exist: Creating a Match.com for Unused Medicine

June 25, 2013: Americans throw away $4 billion to $5 billion usable drugs even though one in three are uninsured and have difficulty paying for them. Sirum, an RWJF-funded organization operating in California, collects unused medications and matches up the drugs with clinics that need them, which not only provides medication to those in need but also reduces pharmaceutical waste.

Family Practice News: Institute Aims to Spread Project ECHO Care Model

June 24, 2013: Project ECHO takes expertise from the academic medical center and puts it in the hands of the primary care providers in the field, allowing them to have 10 times the impact they would if they merely practiced in their clinic. In order for this model to be replicated, specialists must be willing to share their knowledge base with primary care practitioners.  

Detroit Free Press: Guest Commentary—Help Our Youth Go From Failing to Fulfilling Their Dreams

June 23, 2013: "We have to make a decision: Will we invest in our youth so they can build and strengthen our communities, or will we allow them to become further disconnected from communities that already lack needed education and employment opportunities?" Writing in the Detroit Free Press, Maisha Simmons, program officer, RWJF Vulnerable Populations team, and Tonya Allen, CEO at the Skillman Foundation, laud efforts to transform the futures of young men of color.

The Kansas City Star: Crittenton Gets $2.3 Million Grant to Expand Children's Program

June 20, 2013: A Crittenton Children’s Center program helps students in Kansas City work through crises so they can focus on learning. The RWJF-funded initiative will expand the Head Start-Trauma Smart program in classrooms across Missouri to work with family members and teachers on the effects of trauma experienced by students, such as homelessness, abuse, and the death of a parent.

Mobihealthnews.com: PatientsLikeMe Raises $7M with an Eye on Partners

June 20, 2013: PatientsLikeMe launched an open-participation research platform in February with the help of a $1.9 million grant from RWJF. By providing open access to patient-reported health outcome measures and focusing on what is meaningful to patients, this initiative has the potential to accelerate discovery, advance medicine, and improve health.

The Times: Editorial—N.J. Nursing Initiative Addresses Shortage of Nurses, Faculty for Nursing Programs

June 19, 2013: New Jersey’s 114,000 actively licensed nurses, just 8 percent under the age of 30, won’t be enough to meet demands. The New Jersey Nursing Initiative, a collaboration of RWJF and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation, is addressing the issue with a scholarship program aimed at recruiting and retaining faculty to educate the next generation of nurses.  

Philadelphia Inquirer: Early Trauma, Lasting Damage

June 19, 2013: Thanks to research, we now know that toxic stress in childhood contributes to behavioral and health issues in later life. Writing in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Institute for Safe Families Executive Director Martha Davis and Kristin B. Schubert, RWJF Vulnerable Populations team director, say "spreading that knowledge is the first step toward improving health and saving lives."

Wall Street Journal: Studies Offer Hope for Obamacare, but the Picture Remains Incomplete

June 18, 2013: Come October 1, when uninsured Americans will be required to obtain coverage under the Affordable Care Act, will the states be ready? RWJF-supported research suggests two of three states that are not running their own health insurance exchanges on their own—Michigan and Virginia—will be ready. For a third state studied—Alabama—the outlook is fuzzier. A second study shows that competition among insurers in several states "has heated up."

Time Magazine's Swampland Blog: Hospital Price Data—There’s an App for That

June 17, 2013: Hospitals are under pressure to make prices publicly available and the federal government is collecting/analyzing quality measures for providers. RWJF is seeking innovative uses of health care data with a $120,000 competition among technology developers to improve consumer understanding and use of data that compare hospital prices.

The Times: Mercer County Graduates of Nursing Initiative Reflect on Their Time, Look Ahead to Future

June 16, 2013: New Jersey needs to boost nurse training to keep up with projected health care needs—a shortfall of at least 40,000 nurses is expected by 2020. The New Jersey Nursing Initiative, launched in 2009 by RWJF and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation, provides scholarships to help nurses earn advanced degrees.

San Francisco Chronicle: To Fix the Classroom, Rethink Recess

June 16, 2013: Teachers find that students return to their desks refreshed and ready to learn after recess. Play is an opportunity to model the skills of empathy, teamwork, leadership and inclusion, says Jill Vialet, the founder of Playworks, an RWJF-funded program that brings full-time coaches to low-income schools.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Grant Makers Open Up About Failed Projects in Hopes Others Can Learn From Them

June 16, 2013: Foundations are more transparent in an effort to avoid making similar mistakes and wasting money. David Colby, RWJF vice president for Research and Evaluation, says that the Foundation has in recent years been undertaking major outside evaluations to put attention on what’s working and what’s not—"If a failure isn’t a learning opportunity, it is a complete waste of resources."

The Washington Post's Opinions Blog: Expanding Medicaid Coverage is Not a Cure-All

June 13, 2013: Medicaid insurance is being extended to millions who lack coverage, but difficulties they experience due to our health care system are not being addressed. Roberta Capp, RWJF Clinical Scholar, says some Medicaid patients who do everything they can to see a doctor, to no avail, resort to emergency department visits and undergo the same medical tests multiple times.

U.S. News: America's 50 Healthiest Counties for Kids

June 11, 2013: New analysis represents the first county-level assessment of how the well-being of children is affected by health and environmental factors. The US News Rankings team consulted with experts studying community health and relied on the County Health Rankings, a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and RWJF, in their analysis and reporting.

AtlantaMagazine.com: Affordable Care Act to Launch Thousands of Georgia Startups

June 11, 2013: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will unlock opportunities for individuals purchasing private plans, and according to a recent report from RWJF, 1.5 million additional people will become self-employed who would not have otherwise done so. Access to high-quality, subsidized health insurance coverage will no longer be exclusively tied to employment.

Philadelphia Business Journal: $20M Nursing Scholar Program Has Local Ties

June 4, 2013: The RWJF-funded Future of Nursing Scholars program will support up to 100 doctorate nursing candidates during its first two years. RWJF cannot achieve its mission to improve health and health care without a robust, well-educated nursing workforce and more highly educated nurse leaders, says John Lumpkin, MD, senior vice president and director, Health Care Group.

Adweek.com: Food and Beverage Companies Slim Down Products to Fight Obesity

May 30, 2013: The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF), made up of top food and beverage companies, announced that they reached their goal of taking 1.5 trillion calories out of the marketplace by making changes to product formulas and sizes. An evaluation by RWJF is expected this fall to report on HWCF’s continued progress.

AAMC.org: AAMC, Khan Academy, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Collaborate to Produce Online Tutorials for the 2015 MCAT® Exam

May 24, 2013: Medical students now have free access to high-quality online materials to help them prepare for the revised MCAT exam in 2015. As part of this new AAMC collaboration with the Khan Academy and RWJF, these organizations are sponsoring a competition to encourage medical students and residents to create tutorials explaining concents that draw from their own experiences.

VideoLink: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Launches ReadyCam On-Site Studio

May 23, 2013: VideoLink launched its newest on-site ReadyCam® studio at RWJF, allowing professionals from the Foundation to comment on health and health care topics from the convenience of their headquarters in Princeton, NJ. The camera system is capable of transmitting broadcast quality, HD video over the Internet directly to all news media organizations around the world.

Inland Valley News: California’s First Green House® Homes Open, New Era of Nursing Home Care

May 23, 2013: Residents of Green House homes enjoy private rooms as well as socializing in cozy shared living spaces while eating food prepared in open kitchens.The RWJF-supported Green House model takes on a unique approach to care that produces better clinical outcomes than traditional nursing homes, such as fewer hospitalizations and falls, and less staff turnover.

NJ Spotlight.com: Graduates of NJ Nursing Initiative Will Help Replenish Teaching Ranks

May 22, 2013: New Jersey Nursing Initiative (NJNI) graduates could fill one-third of approximately 30 vacant positions at the state’s nursing schools. NJNI, sponsored by RWJF and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation, aims to eliminate, or significantly reduce, the state's nurse faculty shortage, a key reason for the predicted nurse shortage in the state.

Kezi.com: Oregon First Lady Visits St. Vinnie’s

May 17, 2013: The St. Vincent de Paul Society in Eugene, OR is creating sustainable local jobs while supporting community health. One of Lane County’s largest employers, this RWJF-funded organization turns trash into cash through a recycling-and-retail operation that generates $24 million in revenue each year.

Los Angeles Times: After Hospital Care, the Test Begins

May 9, 2013: One in 5 elderly patients is readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. An RWJF-released report found that many readmittions can be avoided and occur because of differences in patient health status and the quality of inpatient care, discharge planning, and care coordination. As of last year, hospitals that do not meet certain guidelines in preventing readmissions are fined.

NBC News.com Blog: New Hospital Data Shows Giant Swings in Prices

May 8, 2013: Lack of transparency is one of the biggest factors in rising health care costs. In an effort to force health care providers to be more consistent, the federal government published prices charged by thousands of different hospitals. To make the data more usable by consumers, RWJF plans to publish a map based on the data, so people can choose where to be treated.

Huffington Post: Fast Food Nutrition Has Barely Improved In 14 Years, Study Finds

May 8, 2013: One quarter of American adults consume fast food two or more times per week, ordering from menus that describe items as being “healthy”  and low in fat content. Despite company pledges to increase the nutritional quality of their fast food menu items, an RWJF-supported study revealed only a slight improvement of 3 percent between 1997/98 and 2009/10.

NBCLatino.com: Unhealthy Ads Dominate Spanish Children’s Television Shows

May 6, 2013: A new study shows that 84 percent of advertised foods and beverages on Spanish language television shows are low-nutrient and high-calorie products, although the number dropped for children’s shows in English to 49 percent. This study by the Healthy Eating Research program used an independent food rating system by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Huffington Post Blog: Devaluing Our Children

May 6, 2013: Obesity rates among children have tripled in a single decade and by 2040, roughly half the adult population may be obese. A new report by the Campaign to End Obesity shows that "efforts to prevent chronic health problems like obesity provide good value in the short term, but even more value when we look decades down the road," said James S. Marks, MD, RWJF senior vice president.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy:

May 5, 2013: Changes in non-profit-leadership education include teaching coalition-building to solve problems that affect a wide range of people. RWJF formed two pilot programs last year that stress the need for nonprofit executives from different organizations and different types of charities to learn to work together as well as to work with people in other fields, such as business and government.

Health Affairs Blog: Oregon’s Medicaid Experiment‒Coverage Is the First Step

May 2, 2013: The Oregon Health Insurance Study, appearing in today’s New England Journal of Medicine, illustrates how being insured can help low-income Americans. “Enrollment in Medicaid, after about two years, profoundly increased patients’ use of needed medical services, and vastly reduced the financial strain that previously limited their care,” says RWJF Senior Vice President John Lumpkin.

The Nation's Health: Communities Using Annual Rankings to Improve Health: Program Tracks, Measures County Health

May 1, 2013: Counties nationwide use data from the County Health Rankings, developed by RWJF and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, to highlight the need for public health initiatives to improve the health of residents. The program shows “there is no singular factor that makes a community healthy or unhealthy,” says Abbey Cofsky, MPH, RWJF senior program officer.

Medical Daily.com: Childhood Obesity Challenge‒Crowdsourcing the Cure for Our Nation's Weight Problem

April 29, 2013: Childhood obesity has more than doubled in the past 30 years and a child who is obese has an 80 percent chance of becoming an obese adult. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine and RWJF created an online competition to encourage ideas to combat the childhood obesity epidemic using a crowdsourcing platform for submissions that may lack funding or research backing.

Citizen-Times.com: Great Medicaid Model Already Exists in NC

April 29, 2013: North Carolina had the lowest average annual growth in Medicaid spending of any state from 2007 through 2010 thanks to Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC), a private, nonprofit managed care agency. CCNC integrates physical and mental health, instead of coordinating services through locally-owned managed care organizations.

Politico: Health Insurance CO-OPs Gear Up

April 25, 2013: CO-Ops will be competing with large, established insurers for new exchange business under the health law. These new marketplaces are one of the ACA's key mechanisms for expanding affordable coverage. “It remains to be seen whether CO-OPs can effectively market their policies and services to become self-sustaining,” a recent brief from Health Affairs and RWJF states.

Stateline: New Health Exchanges Unlikely to End Insurance Monopolies in Some States

April 25, 2013: Exchanges provide the opportunity for Americans without insurance from their employers to shop around for private insurance, which allows for competition between providers. But in some cases, a dominant carrier can negotiate the best prices with hospitals and then pass along those savings to the insured, in which case consumers don’t necessarily need more than one option.  

McKnights.com: Green House in our midst

April 24, 2013: THE GREEN HOUSE® Project represents a revolution in long-term care, creating small homes that return control, dignity, and a sense of well-being to elders, while providing high-quality, personalized care. The results of this 10-year-old program are happier, healthier elders. RWJF support is helping to spread The Green House model across the United States.

Los Angeles Times: Employer Health Premiums Rose 170% in California in Last Decade

April 24, 2013:  Down from 73% three years ago, only 60% of California firms offered health benefits last year due to escalating premium costs. A new study from RWJF-funded State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) found that across the nation, health insurance coverage from employer-sponsored insurance diminished substantially over the last decade.

The Washington Post: A Healthy Debate on Healthy Choices in Schools

April 21, 2013: Children across America consume hundreds of billions of calories of junk food at school every year. Parents in Virginia's Fairfax and Montgomery Counties are demanding healthier snacks in school instead of waiting for updated standards from the Department of Agriculture for foods sold in school vending machines and cafeteria lines.

Kaiser Health News Blog: Bipartisan Center Offers Plan To Reduce Health Spending

April 19, 2013: A health care cost containment plan by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) offers recommendations such as changes to Medicare policy that would cut the federal deficit by about $560 billion over the next decade. With this RWJF-supported initiative, BPC is working to address unsustainable health care cost growth in the United States.

Huffington Post: Now Is the Time for Food Education

April 19, 2013: Many private corporations have acknowledged America’s incredible agricultural heritage, and fostered cultures that demonstrate an understanding of the connection between the food we eat and our overall health, and not a moment too soon. According to a report from Trust for America's Health and RWJF, more than half of Americans may be obese by 2030.   

Yahoo! News: Michigan Workers Suffer Big Losses in Workplace Health Benefits

April 12, 2013: In the course of the last decade, 1.6 million people in Michigan stopped getting heath care benefits from their employers, a decline of 69.2 percent. Fewer employers are willing to provide health care benefits because of rising premiums, which also makes it less likely that employees will sign up for coverage if it is offered to them, says authors of a new RWJF-funded report.

Los Angeles Times: Fewer Californians Get Health Insurance at Work as Premiums Rise

April 11, 2013: The number of private-sector companies in California offering health benefits fell over the last decade, to 52 percent in 2011 from 57 percent in 2000. People will have new options for insurance coverage in January under the federal healthcare law, with federal premium subsidies for some consumers buying private coverage and Medicaid expansion in some states.

Politico: States' Rare Change to Expand Medicaid

April 11, 2013: If states do not support the Medicaid expansion and take advantage of new private market options, millions of Americans will be left without affordable health insurance coverage and inequities that federal health reform was intended to eliminate will remain. If every state expanded, an additional 21 million Americans could be covered through the Medicaid program.  

MSNBC: The Tax That (Almost) Everyone Can Love

April 11, 2013: President Obama wants to raise the federal levy on cigarettes from $1.01 a pack to $1.95, and use the proceeds to expand early childhood education, possibly sparing a half-million young people from death. An RWJF-funded study published in 2010 by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids concluded that 67% of American voters favored a $1 increase in their state’s cigarette tax.

Politico: RWJF Gets the Gang Back Together

April 10, 2013: It’s been four years since RWJF’s Commission to Build a Healthier America issued recommendations on improving population health, but the group is reconvening with a focus on early childhood and healthy communities. Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, and Alice Rivlin, PhD, are returning as Commission co-chairs.

The Dodge Blog: Learning & Leading When Disaster Philanthropy Comes Home

April 10, 2013: Grantmakers heard from a host of stakeholders about disaster planning, best practices, rebuilding and recovery during the Education Relief and Recovery Conference Call Series which began one week after Hurricane Sandy struck. In February, more than 50 philanthropic leaders, including RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, visited the disaster-affected communities.

Wall Street Journal: Dementia Will Take Toll on Health-Care Spending

April 8, 2013: Forty percent of those 85 and older have Alzheimer’s or related diseases. As baby boomers age, the number of dementia cases will  increase along with the health care spending they entail. The Green House Project, co-funded by RWJF and NCB Capital Impact, provides certified nursing assistants and allows for less administrative costs by keeping residents ambulatory.

WGBH News: Poverty Impacts Developing Brains

April 4, 2013: Poverty can disrupt the development of the circuits of the brain, making it difficult for children to learn to control impulses, to plan, to monitor, to solve problems, and to follow directions. Children who grow up poor are more likely to suffer from diabetes and obesity. Early education programs that provide stucture are beneficial in countering the effects of the stress of poverty.

Wall Street Journal: Smaller Size? No Thanks to This Pledge

March 29, 2013: Later this year, the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation will report on its 2010 pledge to remove one trillion calories from the products they sell in U.S. stores and vending machines. "This is the largest and first industry initiatve of this type in the country" says C. Tracy Orleans, PhD, RWJF senior scientist. Counting total calories sold marks a major advance in tracking eating habits.

Huffington Post: 284,000 Uninsured Veterans May Miss Out On Medicaid Coverage If 25 States Reject Expansion: Study

March 27, 2013: As many as 6 million Americans may miss out on Medicaid as a result of states’ decisions not to participate in the Medicaid expansion. According to a new study from RWJF and the Urban Institute, poor, uninsured veterans who would have qualified for Medicaid under the expansion will not be able to access it. Only 25 states and the District of Columbia have said yes so far.

Health Affairs Blog: Addressing the Root Causes of Health Problems: Rebecca Onie of Health Leads

March 22, 2013: Rebecca Onie, RWJF Young Leader Award winner, is cofounder and CEO of Health Leads, an RWJF-funded program that envisions a health care system that addresses all patients’ basic needs as a standard of quality care. This program focuses on the root causes of health problems, because doing so will result in lower-cost health care, said RWJF Chief of Staff Robin Mockenhaupt.

The Miami Herald: Florida Surgeon General: Good Health Starts with Good Jobs, Education

March 22, 2013: County health departments use data from the County Health Rankings to shape health improvement plans, resulting in successes such as higher rates of diabetic screening and smoking cessation. The County Health Rankings, published by RWJF and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, make it clear that health results from many sources beyond clinical care.

ABC News Blog: How Healthy Is Your County?

March 20, 2013: Major differences in health exist between state counties close to one another and even some that share borders. The County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, an RWJF-funded study and website created by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute uses 30 indicators such as obesity rates and income to rank counties within each state from healthiest to least healthy.

Governing: Premature Death Twice as Likely in Least Healthy U.S. Counties

March 20, 2013: Researchers suggest thinking beyond obvious measures and looking at the connection between socioeconomic factors and health, according to the 2013 County Health Rankings published by RWJF and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The recently released winners of the 2013 Roadmaps to Health Prize have taken the rankings and turned them into action.

The Wall Street Journal: Smoking By Teens Steadies

March 19, 2013: The tobacco industry spends an average of $23 million a day marketing its products and in contrast, state funding for anti-smoking efforts has declined. RWJF spent just under $80 million to support anti-smoking efforts in 1999 and donated $10 million in 2009. Like other foundations that more recenlty are focusing on alternate issues, RWJF shifted its focus to combating obesity.

Parenthood.com: For A Strong Heart, Kids Need A Healthy Start

March 15, 2013: Children with a positive home environment and high ability to stay focus and think abstractly are more likely to have good heart health as adults. This is part of a larger conversation about how positive factors can help people live a longer, happier life. RWJF-funded research is showing that there is an integral relationship between our health and how we live, learn, work and play.

Huffington Post Blog: 60-Plus Minutes of Physical Activity a Day Where Kids Live, Learn and Play

March 14, 2013: Our nation's young people are predicted to have a lower life expectancy than most grownups today. In 2007, RWJF committed $500 million to reversing childhood obesity by 2015. Since then, rates are declining in Philadelphia, New York City, Mississippi, and California. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of RWJF wants to keep the momentum going.

U.S. News & World Report: Creating Healthier Communities: Who's Doing It, and How?

March 14, 2013: Six U.S. communities won the Roadmaps to Health Prize, a new initiative from RWJF which funds public health programs. All of the winners placed an emphasis on youth engagement—an aspect underscored by RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD. In many cases, "tapping into our sense as a nation that we want the next generation to be healthier than we are," she says.

Health Affairs Blog: The Human Face of Hospital Readmissions

March 14, 2013: One in five elderly patients winds up back in the hospital within 30 days of leaving. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president and CEO of RWJF, says that in an effort to pinpoint the human factors behind these numbers, the Foundation commissioned a report as part of the Care About Your Care initiative, devoted to improving the transition from hospital to home.

WWNO Radio: New Orleans Awarded Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Roadmaps to Health Prize

March 13, 2013: New Orleans is one of six winners of the inaugural RWJF Roadmaps to Health Prize. The prize honors outstanding community partnerships, which are helping people live healthier lives. Fit NOLA, a Health Department-led, multi-faceted partnership, is working toward the goal of making New Orleans one of the 10 fittest U.S. cities by 2018—the city’s 300th anniversary.

The Washington Post: Research Ties Economic Inequality to Gap in Life Expectancy

March 10, 2013: Although life expectancy is increasing, research shows that gains are going mostly to higher-income people. According to the County Health Rankings, published by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and RWJF, specific factors shape health outcomes, such as behavior; clinical care; social and economic factors; and the physical environment. 

Huffington Post Blog: Crunch-Time Rules for Parenting and Eating

March 7, 2013: From 3:00 p.m. to bedtime, 60 percent of children are given foods and drinks that can lead to unhealthy weight gain. Also revealed by a new poll by NPR, RWJF, and the Harvard School of Public Health are counter-intuitive rules by parents that are backfiring, such as limiting certain foods or drinks at the table that may encourage children's preferences for sweeter foods or larger portions.

U.S.News & World Report: The Less-is-More Approach to Health Care

March 5, 2013: More specialties are joining the Choosing Wisely cause to reduce wasteful medical spending. According to Susan Mende, senior program officer at RWJF, the campaign "provides a platform for providers and patients to have conversations about avoiding unnecessary care and changing the paradigm for more care is always better care to the right care is better care."

Health Affairs Blog: The Two Sides of the Hospital Readmissions Coin

March 5, 2013: Although little progress has been made in reducing hospital readmissions for the elderly, care transitions are improved when patients, their families, nurses and communities work together and share best practices. Agreement was reached by participants of Care About Your Care, a month-long initiative focused on reducing avoidable readmissions, that hospitals can't do it alone.

Healthline: Sharing is Caring: Social Network Allows Patients to Share Diagnoses and Test Results

March 4, 2013: PatientsLikeMe, an open-source health network, not only allows patients with similar conditions to connect, but also provides data to researchers. This new RWJF-funded platform may play a role in future scientific research and patient care by providing a venue for the development of health outcome measurement.

NPR: Your Child’s Fat, Mine’s Fine: Rose-Colored Glasses and The Obesity Epidemic

March 4, 2013: Due to optimism bias, we have a tendency to underestimate the likelihood that we will experience anything negative in our lives, including obesity. It turns out that adults have the same false sense of security about their children becoming obese, mainly because of two areas in the brain where the bias exists.

American Medical News: Campaign to Fight Unneeded Tests Targets “More is Better Mindset”

March 4, 2013: The Choosing Wisely Campaign is helping physicians and patients make smart decisions about their care, indicating medical interventions that should be questioned or avoided. These include routine tests for low-risk, asymptomatic patients, espeically when they do not improve patient care or outcomes.

NPR: Selling Kids on Veggies When Rules Like ‘Clean Your Plate’ Fail

March 4, 2013: According to a poll from NPR, RWJF and the Harvard School of Public Health, children in 25 percent of families are told to eat everything on their plate. Unfortunately, this can backfire, eliciting negative responses from those who question whether there is something wrong with eating vegetables since they aren't rewarded with dessert unless they eat them first.

Ebony: Our Children Have More to Lose if We Don’t Change the Way We Eat

March 1, 2013: Putting their attachment to fat-laden, tranditional dishes on the back burner, parents rally for their children to eat healthier. According to a study by the Kids Safe and Healthy Food Project, a joint project by the Pew Charitable Trusts and RWJF, parents support strong guidelines for food sold in school cafeterias.

NPR: Sacrificing Sleep Makes For Run-Down Teens—And Parents

March 1, 2013: Sleep deprivation causes our bodies to store more fat, setting the stage for problems including weight gain and Type 2 diabetes. A poll by NPR, RWJF and the Harvard School of Public Health examines challenges in helping children achieve or maintain a healthy weight.

WIRED: Social Network Could Revolutionize Disease Treatment

February 26, 2013: A $1.9 million grant from RWJF will be used to build an open science platform to help patients measure the progression of their own diseases. "By building a bridge to formalize that data and share it with scientists who can act on it, PatientsLikeMe’s new platform could prove to be the most legitimately useful social app yet built," says WIRED magazine.

Los Angeles Times: Cutting Calories is Good Business for Restaurants, Study Says

February 7, 2013: An RWJF-funded study by the Hudson Institute reports that food chains increased lower-calorie food and beverage servings to 472 billion, which generated a 5.5 percent increase in same-store sales. This effort, and the federal government's mandate for nutrition labeling, are examples of many public and private efforts to bring the nation's obesity epidemic under control.

Nurse: Study Highlights Lack of Nurse-Led QI Activities

January 29, 2013: Nurse researchers reported an increase in hospital programs aimed at engaging staff RNs in quality improvement activities, but found little difference in participation levels of more recently licensed RNs, according to an RN Work Project study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Politico: Public Not Keen on Washington’s Medicare Ideas

January 25, 2013: Nearly 60 percent of Americans are against reductions in Medicare spending, and 46 percent are against cuts in Medicaid, according to a new poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Your News Now: WIC kids Are Eating Healthier, Less Obese

January 18, 2013: Children enrolled in New York State's Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) showed a drop in obesity rates as a result of new initiatives in the program that promote healthier lifestyles and food choices, a new study funded by RWJF and the New York State Health Foundation finds.

U.S. News: Why Aren't Americans Healthier?

January 15, 2013: A new report finds the United States lagging behind similar nations in life expectancy and other key indicators of the health of the population. RWJF Senior Vice President James Marks calls the report "a damning indictment of how we've done" in promoting a culture of health.

Nurse.com Kicks Off Anniversary by Celebrating 25 Key Nursing Figures

January 14, 2013: Pillars of the nursing community are recognized, including Susan Hassmiller of RWJF for The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, a collaborative effort created by RWJF and the AARP, which she says "strives to increase access to high-quality, patient-centered care in the health care system where nurses contribute as essential partners in achieving success."

ABC News: Too Many Doctors Can Hurt a Patient in 'Bystander Effect'

January 3, 2013: Research suggests that people are less likely to offer help in an emergency when others are present. A similar phenomenon may be at work in cases where patients have many doctors, as one assumes the other is responsible. That's according to a study by RWJF Clinical Scholar Jason Lott, MD, and Robert R. Stavert, MD.

Chronicle of Philanthropy: 5 From the Nonprofit World Who Will Influence Public Policy in 2013

January 3, 2013: Among the most prominent: Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A sign that Lavizzo-Mourey wants to step up her foundation’s influence in Washington: The grant maker just appointed its first vice president for public policy.

NBC News.com Blog: Not Just Child's Play: Don't Take Away Recess, Docs Argue

December 30, 2012: Kids need to get out and play, but grade schools are dropping the ball. Scientific evidence strongly supports the case for recess, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, but schools are eliminating structured play time. Recess, the docs say, boosts intellectual and physical performance, and they urge schools to restore play breaks.

Huffington Post: Choosing Wellness: Transparency in Health Care

December 21, 2012: Today, consumers must take an active role in their own health care and choose providers and hospitals who consistently deliver high-quality and high-value care. It's critical if we want to rein in spiraling costs and enhance care, and if we want to achieve effective, life-long management of chronic conditions.

Las Vegas Review: Nevada Near the Bottom of National Survey of State Emergency Readiness

December 20, 2012: Two top Nevada public safety officials said Wednesday that they think the state is better prepared to respond to disasters, diseases, bioterrorism and extreme weather than the ranking it got in a national survey.

Bloomberg: The Practical Way to Fight Childhood Obesity

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