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Oct 30, 2008 - 12:27:25 PM

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Announces Winners of the 2008 Community Health Leaders Award

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - PRINCETON, N.J. and SAN DIEGO, -- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced the 2008 recipients of its Community Health Leaders (CHL) Award at its Annual Meeting in San Diego. The CHL Award honors unrecognized individuals who overcome daunting odds to improve the health and quality of life for underserved men, women and children in communities across the United States.

Now in its 15th year, the CHL awardees represent the geographical, cultural, ethnic, social and economic diversity of America. From providing deaf patients better access to medical care with interpreters, to giving low-income children a fair start on their education with eye exams, to violence prevention programs for teens, the awardees have dedicated themselves to tackling some of the most intractable problems affecting the health of their communities.

"The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is proud to recognize and honor these courageous individuals who are leading and shaping health care practice and health policy through local action," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "These Community Health Leaders are truly unsung heroes who have stopped at nothing to help the people of their communities live healthier, better lives."

This year's winners join a distinguished and diverse group of 150 previous award recipients. The 2008 Community Health Leaders named today are:

1) STEPHEN BLACK, President & Founder of Impact Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama

2) ANITA BUEL, Director, Deaf Community Health Worker Project, Inner Grove Heights, Minnesota

3) DEANN CANUTESON, President of the Full Life Corporation, Kealakekua, Hawaii

4) SCOTT CHARLES, Trauma Outreach Coordinator, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

5) JONATHAN DELMAN, Executive Director, Consumer Quality Initiatives, Roxbury, Massachusetts

6) DONENE FEIST, State Director, Family Voices of North Dakota, Edgeley, North Dakota

7) ZAID GAYLE, Executive Director, Peace4Kids, Compton, California

8) JUDI HILMAN, Executive Director, Utah Health Policy Project, Salt Lake City, Utah

9) RAY LOPEZ, Environmental Program Manager, Little Sisters of the Assumption (LSA) Family Health Service, Inc., New York, New York

10) MARIA RAMOS, Network Associate Director, Generations +/Northwestern Manhattan Health Network, New York, New York

For more information about the Community Health Leaders Award program, go to www.communityhealthleaders.org.

Community Health Leaders: Making a Difference Where You Live

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

Web Site: http://www.communityhealthleaders.org/
http://www.rwjf.org/

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