The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is working to build a Culture of Health.
Since 1972, RWJF has supported research and programs to uncover the many factors that impact health, and enable people and communities to be as healthy as possible. Working alongside public health leaders, entrepreneurs, research scientists, policymakers and community leaders, the Foundation is committed to ensuring that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to achieve better health where we live, learn, work and play.
Efforts to deny trans children necessary, gender-affirming treatment has been more about politics than about health. And this fight has real costs: More than 90 percent of LGBTQ+ youth say recent politics has harmed their mental health, and they're experiencing higher rates of depression and suicide. Lacking in this discussion: An understanding of the issue and empathy for all involved. What might a “do no harm” approach look like when it comes to youth and gender-affirming care? As pediatricians and longtime public health practitioners who care deeply about children, RWJF Executive Vice President Julie Morita and Senior Vice President Don Schwarz share a few principles to prioritize the health and wellbeing of America's youth.
With more than 400,000 cases among children reported during the past four weeks through June 2, too many children remain vulnerable. COVID-19 vaccinations for children remain one of the most significant pieces of unfinished business in our pandemic response. As a pediatrician who has personally vaccinated hundreds of children and as a former health department commissioner who oversaw many large-scale vaccination programs, RWJF Executive Vice President Julie Morita shares five principles to guide the next phase of our response.
With the Public Health Emergency in place through at least mid-July, we should use this critical window to plan for an orderly and equitable transition guided by data and readiness, not politics. It should ensure that millions of people continue to receive affordable healthcare. RWJF President and CEO Richard Besser writes in The Hill that we should preserve and build on, rather than discard, specific provisions that should be here to stay. This could include extending the highly effective premium tax credits for healthcare plans offered under the Affordable Care Act; providing coverage to people with low incomes who fall into the “Medicaid coverage gap” in twelve states; and making a year of postpartum coverage mandatory for all pregnant women on Medicaid.
Melissa Blair
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation media@rwjf.org or (609) 627-5937
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