The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equity, leadership and training, and changing systems to address barriers to health. RWJF has been credited with helping to develop the 911 emergency system, reducing tobacco use among Americans, lowering rates of unwanted teenage pregnancies, and improving perceptions of hospice care. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: supports the development of programs that can be used in community-led initiatives or by government bodies; funds research through surveys and polls; and makes impact investments. According to Pensions & Investments and Foundation Center, the foundation was the fifth-largest in the U.S. in investment assets, as of 2015. As of 2020, the value of its endowment was $13 billion.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.
Abstract Alonzo L. Plough, vice president, Research-Evaluation-Learning at RWJF, and Thomas A. LaVeist, dean of Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, explore going beyond academic convention so that health equity has a more prominent place in research agendas. Gail Christopher, DN, executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity, describes the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation™ (TRHT™) framework. Kristefer Stojanovski, research assistant professor at Tulane, describes using complex systems theory to investigate HIV risk and how to think in systems. Community-based system dynamics centers the work of Irene Headen, assistant professor of Black health at Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health, who explores the connections between neighborhood factors and Black maternal health. Dr. LaVeist describes Partners for Advancing Health Equity (P4HE), a program designed “to spark discussion, share learning, foster collaboration, and facilitate resource exchange for the promotion of action-oriented health equity research, practice, and policies.”
BACKGROUND:As more people imagine a world without prisons, we must sharpen ourunderstanding of the racialized gendered harm of carceral systems and the care needsof formerly incarcerated older Black adults, for whom harms may be particularlysevere. This study examines associations between incarceration, health, and copingresources among a nationally representative sample of older Black women and men. METHODS:Data are from the 2012 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study.Using logistic regression, we examined whether the odds of having high levels ofcoping resources or experiencing any health conditions differed between neverincarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. RESULTS:Formerly incarcerated older Black women had worse health outcomes thannever-incarcerated older Black women, including higher odds of having depressivesymptoms, limitations to activities of daily living, a heart condition, and a psychiatricdisorder. Health outcomes did not differ by incarceration status for older Black men, butcoping resources did. CONCLUSION:Future public health research, practice, and policy on incarceration andhealth need to include an intersectional analysis of racism, sexism, and ageism.
Introduction In response to disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, many Black people in the United States have sought alternative birthing options outside of hospitals, including home births and community birth centers. Leaders in Black perinatal health care are increasingly advocating for investments in systems that better support people who are pregnant and opt to give birth outside the hospital setting. Despite the disproportionate burden of maternal death and morbidity within Black communities, few studies have examined community-driven responses to this crisis.Methods This qualitative study was conducted between January and October of 2023 to explore how the Black community was responding to the maternal health crisis. It consisted of structured and unstructured conversations with 57 experts, leaders, artists, and practitioners who were deeply knowledgeable about community approaches and an observation of one midwife who was Black and caring for 2 clients who were Black and postpartum in their homes. Thematic analysis of the interviews was conducted.Results Participants perceived that the overemphasis on the negative mortality and morbidity statistics on people who are Black and birthing in the media, without a concomitant attention to the solutions, is harmful to that community and discourages childbearing. They described significant yet often ignored positive contributions of women who are Black and identified Black community midwifery as an important yet underresourced strategy. Direct observation of community midwifery care illustrated dominant themes of spirituality, support, and rest.Discussion These findings suggest that Black community midwifery is an important model of care that offers protective factors during the postpartum period, a time when people who are Black and birthing are most vulnerable to death and disease. Further investments and study into Black community midwifery are warranted to better understand perinatal crisis solutions.
