Bloomington Health Foundation, with Community Justice and Mediation Center, Receives $600,000 Grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for Innovative Community Health Initiative

Contacts:

Jonathan Barada, President & CEO, Bloomington Health Foundation
Phone: 812-558-3409, Email: jbarada@bloomhf.org

Liz Grenat, Executive Director, Community Justice & Mediation Center
Phone: (w) 812-336-8677, Email: cjam@cjamcenter.org


Bloomington, IN (April 15, 2020)
– The Bloomington Health Foundation (BHF), in partnership with Community Justice and Mediation Center (CJAM), has received over $600,000 through Community Voices for Health (CVH), an initiative led by Public Agenda and Altarum, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The funding will support the Community Voices for Health in Monroe County, Indiana project which works to build a stronger engagement infrastructure that involves a broader range of people – especially marginalized and underserved communities – so their voices are heard in healthcare policymaking decisions.

“We are all witness to the unprecedented challenges COVID-19 presents. The current crisis affects each of us differently and for many in our community only exacerbates existing health challenges. The need to inform healthcare policy by building more inclusive and impactful community health assessment tools is more important now than ever,” said BHF President and CEO Jonathan Barada. “As one of only six projects nationally, and the only one in Indiana, we are grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for their support and vision.”

Bloomington Health Foundation will act as fiscal sponsor for the project with CJAM and local partners Gnarly Tree Sustainability Institute, Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs faculty, Public Engagement Consultant Lisa-Marie Napoli, and Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement executing the project.

The project’s first phase, focused on community-engaged research, will draw upon current local health assessment efforts and work to strengthen and uphold the role of underrepresented citizens in policy decision making.

“While the Community Voices project was planned long before the global outbreak of COVID-19, the current crisis reinforces the idea that communities need strong connections and stable systems of engagement to deal with both immediate threats and long-term challenges to public health,” said Liz Grenat, Executive Director of CJAM. “Early data coming out of some major cities is already showing that African Americans are disproportionately represented in deaths related to COVID-19. In Monroe County, local data shows that marginalized and underrepresented members of our community consistently have some of the poorest health outcomes. It is imperative that we develop strategies to bring healthcare leaders and policy makers to the engagement table in ways that lead to more inclusive decision-making. We are retooling our initial project work by developing online and virtual tools to begin connecting with stakeholders. We encourage anyone interested in having their voice heard to reach out to us directly.”

The project’s second phase will include legal research and sharing the tested models from the first phase with local and state partners by hosting workshops and offering engagement toolkits. Lisa Blomgren Amsler, Distinguished Professor at the Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, will conduct research on the legal barriers that prevent or promote effective public engagement in Monroe County and across Indiana communities.

“It is an exciting prospect to be able to share locally developed models statewide,” said Angie Purdie, Administrator for the Monroe County Board of Commissioners. “We look forward to participating in the Community Voices for Health in Monroe County project that leverages the strengths of both the Bloomington Health Foundation and Community Justice and Mediation Center. We believe that connecting people in conversations that work towards collaborative problem-solving and shared resolution will improve the health and resiliency of all Monroe County residents.”

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded grants to six organizations, totaling $3.96 million in funding, with each project receiving over $600,000. The work of the Community Voices for Health initiative will be delivered in partnership with Public Agenda (a non-partisan research and public engagement organization) and Altarum (a non-profit research and consulting organization). Both organizations will provide technical expertise to leverage the impact of the grant support. The six recipients of the Community Voices for Health initiative are:

 

Disclaimer: Support for the Community Voices for Health in Monroe County, Indiana was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

 


 


About BHF
Bloomington Health Foundation (BHF) has been the local philanthropic leader focused on health for more than 50 years. BHF invests support in partnership with the people and organizations of our community to identify local health issues, to seek ways to address those issues, and to leverage existing assets to implement innovative, evidence-based solutions to our community’s health needs. Since 2018, BHF has committed $2.7 million to impact health in Bloomington and neighboring communities. Learn more about joining the movement for a healthier tomorrow at bloomhf.org.


About CJAM
The Community Justice and Mediation Center (CJAM) has been a vital part of the Bloomington and Monroe County community for over 25 years. CJAM is a local non-profit and exists to promote a civil, just, and safe and engaged community through mediation, conflict resolution education, facilitation and restorative justice. Annually, CJAM staff and volunteer mediators serve more than 400 community residents. They work to ensure that Monroe County is an engaged community that learns from conflict, prevents harm, and grows in understanding. Learn how you can get involved at http://www.cjamcenter.org/


About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For more than 45 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are working alongside others to build a national Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.


About Altarum
Altarum is a nonprofit organization that works with public and private insurers, provider organizations, and foundations to improve health of vulnerable and publicly insured populations. Altarum achieves measurable results by combining public health and health care delivery domain expertise with applied research and analytics, technology, continuing education, advisory services, and program implementation. Our innovative solutions lead to better value and better health for all. Learn more at Altarum.org.


About Public Agenda
Public Agenda is a nonpartisan research and public engagement organization dedicated to a healthy, just, and effective democracy. We support informed citizens, engaged communities, and responsive public institutions. We also elevate diverse voices, build common ground and foster progress on issues of concern to the American public. These include K-12 education, higher education, health care, economic opportunity, and democracy reform. Additionally, Public Agenda developed the Civic Engagement Scorecard, a new measurement tool to help policymakers understand whether and how residents value the opportunities for engagement available to them. Find Public Agenda online at PublicAgenda.org, on Facebook at facebook.com/PublicAgenda and on Twitter at @PublicAgenda.