MEDIA RELEASE
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact | Phone |
| February 14, 2008 | Ev Liebman | 856-966-3091 ext. 201 |
| Eve Weissman | 856-966-3091 ext. 205 |
Health Care Reform Advocacy in New Jersey Set to Receive a Boost
New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund Announces Support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to Bolster State Health Reform Efforts
Camden, NJ — The New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund (NJCAEF) announced today that they have been selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and Community Catalyst to participate in a new grant project providing technical and financial resources to support health reform efforts in New Jersey. The organization will participate in the Consumer Voices for Coverage grant initiative, which supports state advocacy efforts by fostering strong and robust advocacy infrastructures.
"There is tremendous momentum in the states for implementing effective health care reform. We know from experience that the voices of consumers — the men and women who work hard each day to support their families — are often the most effective in driving necessary change," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "As states launch ambitious health care reform efforts to ensure that more Americans have health insurance, advocates for consumers will be able to make their voices heard."
Consumer Voices for Coverage will enhance the critical role that advocates play in shaping and promoting comprehensive health reform. The $15 million initiative will strengthen existing advocacy networks in 12 states. Community Catalyst, a national non-profit consumer health advocacy organization headquartered in Boston, will coordinate the effort nationwide.
"Being chosen to receive this grant signifies that health care experts nationwide are looking to New Jersey to be a laboratory for the nation on how to increase the number of residents who have health insurance," said Ev Liebman, Director of Organizing and Advocacy for New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund. "The voices of real people who face real struggles because they do not have health coverage need to be heard by state policymakers. We look forward to accomplishing that goal and moving a reform agenda," continued Liebman.
Working with Citizen Action on this exciting initiative are the AARP-NJ, Hispanic Directors Association of New Jersey, NJ Appleseed, the NJ Catholic Conference, the NJ Health Care Quality Institute, the Women's Fund of NJ, the NJ Public Interest Research Group, the Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with Disabilities (ABCD), Camden Churches Organized for People and the NJ State Conference of NAACP Branches and the Communications Workers of America, Local 1037.
Other state organizations chosen to lead Consumer Voices for Coverage networks in select states include:
- California — Health Access Foundation
- Colorado — Colorado Consumer Health Initiative
- Illinois — Campaign for Better Health Care
- Maine — Consumers for Affordable Health Care Foundation
- Maryland — Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative Education Fund, Inc.
- Minnesota — TakeAction Minnesota Education Fund
- New York — The Community Service Society
- Ohio — Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio, Inc.
- Oregon — Oregon Health Action Campaign
- Pennsylvania — Philadelphia Unemployment Project / Unemployment Information Center
- Washington — Washington Community Action Network Education and Research Fund
The New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund is a nonprofit, 501c (3) organization, founded in 1983, promoting the empowerment of low and middle-income people through research, education and training around public policy issues.
For almost 10 years, Citizen Action Education Fund has convened a New Jersey State-Wide Health Care Committee dedicated to improving the quality of and access to affordable health care for all residents and finding a long-term solution to the health care crisis facing New Jersey and the nation. The Coalition is made up of a broad-based alliance of senior citizen groups, labor unions, community associations, religious organizations, and groups dedicated to expanding and improving health care for all New Jerseyans.
Citizen Action's consumer advocacy efforts are focused on five core health care reform principles:
- Guaranteed Access to Affordable, Comprehensive Health Care for all New Jerseyans
- Improves the Quality of Care for All New Jerseyans
- Shared Responsibility between Individuals Employers, Insurers, Government and Health Care Providers
- Reduce and Contain Costs to Assure Affordable Coverage
- Preventive Care
With this grant, Citizen Action and its coalition partners will be able to expand and strengthen health care reform efforts at the both the state and national level. "We believe with the boost we are receiving from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, our efforts to build a sustainable consumer advocacy system in New Jersey will lead to major improvements in expanding access to affordable and quality health care to our state's 1.2 million uninsured residents," said Liebman.
"For over 20 years, the New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund has been a leader in efforts to reform health care in New Jersey. We are excited to work with such a strong organization to increase momentum towards action in this state," said Susan T. Sherry, deputy director of Community Catalyst, who directs Consumer Voices for Coverage. "Supporting networks that bring the views of real people to policy-makers and key thought leaders in the states about the need for coverage expansion can be a powerful inducement for reform."
Additional information on Consumer Voices for Coverage can be found at www.voicesforcoverage.org.
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About New Jersey Citizen Action
New Jersey Citizen Action is the state's largest citizen watchdog coalition. Citizen Action works to protect and expand the rights of individuals and families and to ensure that government officials respond to the needs of people rather than the interests of those with money and power. Through organizing campaigns that promote economic, social, racial and political justice, NJCA encourages the active involvement of New Jersey residents in challenging the public and private institutions and agencies that impact our lives.
About Community Catalyst
Community Catalyst is a national non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to quality affordable health care for all. Since 1997, Community Catalyst has been working to build the consumer and community leadership required to transform the American health system. With the belief that this transformation will happen when consumers are fully engaged and have an organized voice, Community Catalyst works in partnership with national, state and local consumer organizations, policymakers, and foundations, providing leadership and support to change the health care system so it serves everyone--especially vulnerable members of society. For more information, visit www.communitycatalyst.org.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. By helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime.
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