Joint Center Awarded $7 Million Grant For Health Policy Institute; Institute Will Give National Platform for Minority Health Issues

10/21/2002

From: Liselle Yorke of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 202-789-6366

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 -- The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has been awarded a $7 million grant by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to create a Health Policy Institute. The Institute will focus much-needed attention on key health policy issues for African Americans and other minorities -- communities that are disproportionately affected by policy shifts.

"Recent Census data about the increasing numbers of poor and uninsured persons show that some Americans are still being left behind," said Eddie N. Williams, president of the Joint Center. "We are therefore pleased that the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has chosen to support this Institute which will give many neglected Americans a meaningful voice in the health policy debates that affect them."

Since the early 1990s, the Joint Center has tracked and published hard-to-find data on the health of African Americans and other minorities and has facilitated discussions on issues including HIV/AIDS, access to health services, and the impact of managed care. The Institute, which will be officially launched in spring 2003, will expand the Joint Center's work in these areas and will provide timely responses to health policy challenges.

"The Center has a respected reputation for providing crucial policy information to key decision makers and the public," said William C. Richardson, Kellogg Foundation president and CEO. "We're confident that the new Health Policy Institute will expand and enrich this important work."

The 3-year Kellogg grant will support a variety of activities, including polling and data-gathering, a series of public events and forums, and technical support for community-based organizations. The Joint Center's DataBank, an online data clearinghouse, will be a key component in disseminating health-related community-based data.

In addition to in-house staff, the Institute will rely on the expertise of a Board of Fellows, non-resident scholars with expertise in key issue areas. It will also work with the Kellogg Foundation's network of health policy organizations and other national and local constituency organizations.

------ The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, conducts research and analyses on public policy issues of concern to African Americans and other minorities, promotes their involvement in the governance process, and operates programs that create coalitions within minority, business, and other diverse communities. For more information, visit http://www.jointcenter.org.