Feeding Hearts and Minds through Collective Action and Strong Partnerships
Grantmakers In Health began 2023 by announcing an ambitious set of health policy priorities supporting four key goals—to advance health equity and social justice, to expand health care access and improve quality of care, to improve population health, and to promote community engagement and empowerment.
2023 Rural Health Road Trip—Collaboration in Big Sky Country
It is hard to believe we are approaching the end of summer. It has been a bit of a blur, going from one conference to the next, and planning for fall meetings. For the second year since joining GIH, I was able to participate in our rural health road trip, an annual tradition started by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and National Rural Health Association in 2014.
No Time for Philanthropic Mediocrity
More than a month after the 2023 Grantmakers In Health Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy, Advancing Philanthropy’s Commitment to the Long Game, I find myself reflecting on numerous aspects from presentations to conversations. Two quotes in particular have stayed with me, and apparently others, as I have heard one of them referenced at meetings I have attended since our conference.
A Conversation with Jill Shumann, Grantmakers In Health’s New Vice President for Programming
This month, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) President and CEO Cara V. James sat down with Jill Shumann, GIH’s new Vice President for Programming, to learn more about Jill’s long career in health and how her experience applies to GIH’s mission of advancing better health for all through better philanthropy. Jill discussed her formative years as a Peace Corps Volunteer, her work on international public health in Africa, and her recent tenure at the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
We Can’t Fix What We Don’t Measure: Why the Youth Risk Behavior Survey is Critical
In 2021, 1 in 6 high school students was electronically bullied or bullied at school. That same year, 22 percent of high school students, and 45 percent of students who identified as LGBTQ+, seriously considered attempting suicide. We know this information because of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which along with other state and local surveys, comprises the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.
Welcoming New Colleagues to Grantmakers In Health
Spring in DC means the cherry blossom trees, daffodils, tulips, and other flowers are in bloom. For GIH, this spring also means new relationships are blooming. We have welcomed a few new Funding Partners, and it is my pleasure to announce the addition of three new colleagues at Grantmakers In Health.
Announcing GIH’s 2023 Policy Priorities: Using Our Voice to Make Systemic Changes
When we launched our strategic plan, we noted that to achieve our vision of better health for all through better philanthropy we would need to use our voice to take a more active role to influence advocacy, policy, and funding in targeted areas that will advance health and make a lasting, measurable impact. Our current health “system” is not designed to promote health and wellness, but to provide care once a person is sick, and it is built on a foundation of inequity based on health coverage, or a lack thereof.
Achieving Better Health for All Requires Transforming the Way We Do Business
This year has been an exciting time of renewal and transition at Grantmakers In Health. We celebrated our 40th anniversary and began implementing an ambitious five-year strategic plan, that included work to identify when and how GIH would use its voice to advance policies that support better health for all and at long last returned to in-person convenings with our annual conference, Fall Forum, and other events.
Committing to the Long Game of Advancing Better Health Through Public Policy
As people across the country prepare to vote in state and local elections, those of us working in health philanthropy should take a moment to reflect on what we can do to support policies to advance better health outcomes.
Rural Road Trip Showcases Resiliency, Collaboration, Innovation, and the Need for a Shared Vision for Rural Health in the United States
Last month I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Georgia and North Carolina with key partners in rural health. Our “rural road trip” was a refreshing journey that provided inspiration for philanthropy’s work and a reminder that ensuring better health for all must engage all rural communities.