As both parents and pediatricians, RWJF President and CEO Richard Besser and Executive Vice President Julie Morita stress the need to redouble our efforts to keep children safe and offer three fundamental steps to mitigate the pandemic’s effects on children. Read their op-ed in USA Today.
In politics today, language is often weaponized in an attempt to end the discussion and blunt any policy changes. We cannot let this happen with the concept of a more equitable nation, pens RWJF Executive Vice President Julie Morita. We need health equity in America in the same way that we need clean water, nutritious foods, safe streets and good schools. Read her op-ed in The Hill.
The American Rescue Plan Act provides hope for more than 100 million people, yet if we believe in an America in which everyone has opportunity and every person has equal value, our work is far from complete, pens RWJF President and CEO Richard Besser. Even if the pandemic were to end this year, the people for whom the legislation’s provisions are a lifeline still will be living in a nation steeped in inequities that cannot be eliminated with a single act of Congress, no matter how vast. Read his op-ed in The Hill.
Dismantling structural racism must become America’s ultimate public health intervention. Rich Besser highlights the need to rethink how the United States can address predictable challenges that arise in public health emergencies. During this pandemic and well before, some people suffer more than others simply because of the color of their skin, what they earn, and where they live. Read his op-ed on CNN.
Rich Besser says Congress, in crafting COVID relief legislation, must understand that one's economic health and one's physical and mental health are intertwined. He writes that lawmakers must act now to support people’s immediate needs during this pandemic, but also use this crisis as the impetus to address the long-term objective of building a society in which all people can live the healthiest lives possible. Read his op-ed in The Hill.
Rich Besser and RWJF Executive Vice President Julie Morita explain that in many states, an overzealous focus on speed of COVID-19 vaccine rollout is leaving behind many of those who should be vaccinated most urgently. Read their op-ed in USA Today.
Rich Besser explains the importance of transparency, patience and vigilance in improving vaccine uptake, and ensuring that the ability to get vaccinated is not determined by one’s race, income or privilege. Read his op-ed on ABC News.
Fear of COVID-19 forces millions of workers to make the decision to "go to work sick so they can pay rent, buy food and afford child care, or prioritize their health and risk economic instability," says Erika L. Moritsugu of the National Partnership for Women & Families and RWJF Vice President for Policy Avenel Joseph. Read their op-ed in The Hill.
The First Family’s diagnosis is just the latest indication that we are nowhere near the end of this pandemic, Rich Besser, and we all need the support to survive and thrive. Read Rich's op-ed in Scientific American.
Rich Besser states that for many of the nearly 28 million people in America without health insurance, complying with the CDC guidelines to stay home with COVID-19 symptoms is an impossibility, especially for people of color or those in low-wage jobs. Read Rich's CNN op-ed.
Former CDC Directors Richard Besser, Tom Frieden, Jeffrey Koplan and David Satcher explain why the agency's guidance on reopening schools must be based on sound science, not political pressure—and centered on safety and health equity. Read their op-ed in The Washington Post.
RWJF Executive Vice President Julie Morita highlights the urgent need for the CDC to take the lead in activating and coordinating the nation’s COVID-19 vaccine planning, including mapping out the effective and equitable distribution of a vaccine. Read Julie's op-ed on CNN.
Rich Besser highlights the importance of collecting, analyzing, and reporting data by race, gender, ethnicity, income and other demographics to understand who is being hit hardest by the pandemic and to guide states' response, recovery, and reopening plans. Read Rich's op-ed in USA Today.
Rich Besser highlights how risk of COVID-19 exposure and the ability to protect oneself and one’s family depends on income, access to health care, and immigration status, among other factors. Read Rich's Washington Post op-ed.
Rich Besser and Rebecca Cokley, director of the Disability Justice Initiative, highlight how COVID-19 continues to unearth uncomfortable truths about inequity and speak out for the disabled in America. Read Rich and Rebecca's CNN Opinion commentary.
RWJF Executive Vice President Julie Morita highlights the need to treat Asian Americans not as enemies, but as fellow victims of the insidious Coronavirus that does not distinguish by place, race, age or gender. Read Julie's Chicago Tribune op-ed.
The coronavirus response is revealing inadequate health equity and public policy. Read Rich's Patient Engagement HIT op-ed.
"It's hitting communities of color harder than other communities," and those facing economic, housing, and food insecurity. Richard Besser calls on us to make health equity part of the COVID-19 conversation. —CNN NewsDay
Brian Quinn, associate vice president, Research-Evaluation-Learning, and Mona Shah, senior program officer, share why decision-makers should turn to research and scientific data to enact policies that address the deep disparities Coronavirus is illuminating. Read Brian and Mona's op-ed published in The Hill.
