Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Awards $100,000 Grants to Community Health Leaders

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation met this week in Washington, D.C., with the winners of the organization's Community Health Leadership Program. Selected for their work in addressing "complex health and social" issues in their communities, each winner will receive $100,000. Ten winners were selected out of 577 nominations. (RWJF release). The following is a list of the winners:

• Browning, Mont.: The Great Falls Tribune reports that Connie Bremmer, director of the Eagle Shield Senior Center on the Blackeet Reservation received a grant for her efforts in revitalizing a tribal senior center into a facility that currently "serves more than 600 elderly and disabled people a year." The funding will be used to provide short-term care for the terminally ill and to create a home health care program (Perez, Great Falls Tribune, 5/31). Since taking control of the facility in 1994, Bremer has expanded services to include meals for about 200 people and health care for about 106 homebound Medicaid beneficiaries (Merriam, Missoulia Missoulian, 6/10). Bremmer also oversaw the creation of an Alzheimer's screening and treatment program at the center (Golden Triangle Newspapers, 6/13). This July, the center will move into a new building that will have 16 bedrooms and an exam room (Great Falls Tribune, 5/31).
• Philadelphia, Penn.: Luis Centeno, the founder of Proclaimers of Hope Ministries, received a grant for creating an addiction prevention program aimed at Latino youth. The center is "faith-based" and has about 200 volunteers who combine counseling with physical education and arts programs. Centeno started the program in the late 1980s. In a partnership with Bethel Temple Community Bible Church, the program also incorporates martial arts and drama into its prevention programs (RWJF release, 6/20).
• Provo, Utah: The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Susan Chasson, a victims rights advocate with the Children's Justice Center, received a grant for her work with a center that provides a "home like" environment for children who have suffered a "physical trauma," particularly those who have been sexually abused (Hummel, Salt Lake Tribune, 6/3). After creating the center in 1991, Chasson expanded its services so that it now offers medical and mental health services for children and their families. The center treats more than 1,200 people annually. Laura Blanchard, the center's director, said, "Chasson overcame obstacles in an environment where people did not want to believe that (child abuse) happens here" (Provo, Daily Herald, 6/1).
• Delaware, Ohio: The Delaware Gazette reports that Mary Fleming, a nurse at Grady Memorial Hospital was selected for developing a program to improve farm safety. In 1991, Fleming began visiting the scenes of farm accidents in order to investigate the causes and develop educational efforts to prevent further injuries. Since then, she has created programs for tetanus immunization, distributing first aid kits to farms, and agricultural rescue training for fire and rescue personnel (Robinson, Delaware Gazette. Her work also includes an annual program for fifth-grade students to learn about farm safety (Hinchey, Columbus Dispatch, 6/1).
• Fremont, Ohio: The Fremont News-Messenger reports that Dr. Alvin Jackson, a physician at Community Health Services will receive a grant for his work providing health care to migrant farm workers. Jackson, along with support staff from CHS use a mobile health van to treat farm workers in 12 counties. "Being the son of a migrant, I feel a special bond with [the workers]," he said (Gainer, Fremont News-Messenger, 5/31). He added that the workers "don't make a lot of money and health care is a luxury for them. They come in only when they're very sick and they don't seek preventive care" (Sandusky Register, 6/2).
• Fairbanks, Alaska: The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that Victor Joseph, a substance abuse counselor, will receive a grant for a drug treatment program he developed that is "geared towards Alaska Natives." The funding will go towards the program that uses Native traditions and values to treat substance abusers and their families (Bohman, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, 5/31). Joseph is the director of the program, which is administered by the Tanana Chiefs Conference (Associated Press, 5/30).
• San Bernardino, Calif.: The San Bernardino Sun reports that Rev. David Kalke of the San Bernardino Central City Lutheran Mission received a grant for the programs he created that provide health care, education, recreation and housing services to teenagers and homeless people. Kalke said the money will be used to start construction of a new $2 million complex that will include a health clinic, recreation center, student residence hall and education center (Nguyen, San Bernardino Sun, 6/1). The funding will also be used to expand a housing and health project for HIV-positive people in the community (Banks, San Bernardino Press-Enterprise, 5/31).
• Columbia, Miss.: The Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports that Charlotte Keys, the deputy chancery clerk of Marion County, received a grant for her work to educate and organize residents in Columbia, Miss. about the health hazards from chemical plants. Her organization, Jesus People Against Pollution, now works with the government and residents to "guarantee public safety" and foster economic development. The funding will be used to hire additional staff and create "model" environmental health projects that can be used across the country (Walker, Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 5/31).
• Wichita, Kan.: The Wichita Eagle reports that Arneatha Martin, co-president and CEO of the Center for Health and Wellness in Wichita has received a grant for a center she established that provides family health care for the uninsured and underinsured. The center opened in 1998 and focuses on prevention and wellness. Martin said the grant money will be used to "bolster the center's fund raising efforts" (Marshall, Wichita Eagle, 5/17). In its first two years of operation, the center treated 15,000 patients (Associated Press, 6/4).
• Durham, N.C.: The Durham Herald-Sun reports that pharmacist Gina Upchurch received a grant for an organization she founded that assists seniors with their prescriptions. Called Senior PHARMAssist, the program provides discounted drugs to about 250 seniors who earn less than 150% of the federal poverty level. Participants in the program receive a "credit card" for their prescriptions and pay a maximum of $8 for a 100 day supply of medicine. The organization also screens participants' prescriptions for possible drug interactions and reviews the health needs of the seniors every six months. The program maintains a Web site that has links to manufacturers' patient assistant programs (Shamp, Durham Herald-Sun, 5/31).