Alexandria, VA, July 31, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The application period for the Second 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 being encouraged to submit a nomination.
The RWJF Award for Health Equity presented by the NAFC celebrates health practitioners who excel in building a “Culture of Health and achieving health equity” in communities across the country. 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 honored to continue working with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to showcase leaders in the health care field who strive to build a culture of health equity for all,” NAFC Chief Executive Officer Nicole Lamoureux said. “With access to affordable health care being a major issue for millions throughout the nation, it is important to highlight the continued need and important work being done to address and remove health disparities for the medically underserved.”
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 the following focus areas: increasing patient visit capacity, better chronic disease outcomes, reducing emergency room utilization, improved patient compliance, established collaborative health & wellness program in addition to primary care, or 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 who are using systems changes to address health disparities 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 several sectors including public health, health care, business, social justice, civic leadership, education, community development, and philanthropy.
The First Annual RWJF Award for Health Equity presented by the NAFC was awarded in 2016 to Mike Espel, Pharmacy Director for the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy in Cincinnati, OH. The winner of this year’s award will be announced at the NAFC’s Charitable Health Care Symposium this October in Colorado, as well as at an annual recognition and learning event at RWJF that will highlight the work of all 10 winners.
The nomination period for this award is now open, and all nominations are to be submitted by Friday, August 11, 2017 at 8pm EDT. For more information, please contact NAFC staff at info@nafclinics.org.
###
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For more than 40 years, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are working with others to build a national Culture of Health enabling everyone in America to live longer, healthier lives. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.
About the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFC)
The 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 1,200 Free and Charitable Clinics that serve them. 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. The organization believes that access to health care should be a right, not a privilege, and it values volunteerism, community ownership, service and collaboration.
For more information about the NAFC, please visit www.nafcclinics.org. Follow the NAFC on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NAFClinics and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NAFCClinics.
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b8effd91-dd9f-41d5-b6d9-796956430cca