« December 2018 Issue

Special Issue of Spotlight

Editor's Note

As we set out to plan this special issue of Spotlight, we thought: Who best to reflect on 20 years of Community Catalyst than those who know us best – our partners in the world of advocacy, philanthropy, and government and, of course, our founder. And so, in this issue we are honored to share reflections from: former Obama Administration official, state legislator and advocate, Anton Gunn; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program officers Lori Grubstein and David Adler; Pennsylvania Health Access Network Executive Director Antoinette Kraus; and Community Catalyst Founder and President Kate Villers. We are deeply grateful to each of them and to all the individuals and organizations who have made it possible for Community Catalyst to organize and sustain a powerful consumer voice to ensure all individuals and communities can influence the local, state and national decisions that affect their health – our dedicated mission for the past two decades. We look forward to working alongside them and to building new partnerships over the next 20 years as, together, we strive to advance health justice. (Please be sure to check out our 20th Anniversary timeline for milestones of the past two decades!)

—Kathy Melley, Director of Communications

O N   T H E   W I R E

Support Our Work:

Please take a moment and read this inspiring message from our former executive director, Rob Restuccia.

We hope it will inspire you to make a contribution to support our next 20 years of impact and advocacy for access to quality, affordable health care for everyone!

Katherine Howitt, former Associate Director of Policy, was highlighted in Kaiser Health News discussing how the midterm election results showed health care was important to voters, prompting Medicaid expansion in more states.

Research Director of the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation (the Center), Marc A. Cohen, PhD, co-wrote a blog for Health Affairs that takes an in-depth look into how motivation and self-determination lead to better health outcomes and lower health care costs for patients with medical and long-term services and supports.

Community Catalyst Board Member Joia Crear-Perry, MD, wrote an article in Essence Magazine explaining the connection between racism and infant mortality among Black women and children.

Center Director Ann Hwang, MD was quoted in an article discussing how advanced primary care leads to better results in accountable care organizations in Fierce Healthcare.

The Center named Elena Hung, founder of Little Lobbyists, as its Speak Up for Better Health Award winner and honored three others whose advocacy has improved the lives of people with complex health and social needs. The honorees were mentioned in both Salem News: “Business Briefcase” and Corvallis Gazette-Times: “At Our Best (September 15).”

Join us in welcoming:

Tori Bilcik, Communications and Development Associate; Dana Clarke, Director of Human Services; Alexis Garcia, Program Associate; Laura Hale, State Advocacy Manager, Dental Access Project; Myriam Hernandez Jennings, Consumer and Community Engagement Advisor; HaiYen Nguyen, Accounting Associate; Nina Oishi, Program Associate; Madison Tallant, Program Associate, Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation; Sarah Trieweiler, Executive Assistant; and Jill Wohl, Director of Development.

We are delighted to share the following promotions:

Tera Bianchi to Program Director, Dental Access Project; Ashley Blackburn to Policy Manager; Jessica Curtis to Senior Advisor; Lucy Dagneau to Project Leader for Together for Medicaid in addition to her role as Associate Director of Communications; and Eva Marie Stahl to Associate Director of Policy.

Media Contact

Jack Cardinal
Deputy Director of Communications
617-275-2923 
jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org

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