Category: Policy

Affordable housing units important to health of community

By Jennifer Tidwell on October 27, 2020
Division Manager, Housing and Community Development
City of Kansas City Missouri

Tania Hewett-Mader
Policy Associate, Health Forward Foundation

Few events in history highlight as clearly as the pandemic that housing and health are inherently connected. Families struggle to make ends meet after job loss or reduction in pay due to the coronavirus.  At the onset of the pandemic, governments  requested that residents stay at home, schools moved to a virtual environment, and many […]

Read More

CATEGORIES
Policy, Social Factors

New Health Forward director called to policy work from early age

By McClain Bryant Macklin on July 23, 2020
Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives
Health Forward Foundation

I was taught at an early age that I owe a debt to my community. Both of my parents made a living by improving the lives of others. I have always been driven by a desire to make them, my community, and my ancestors proud. And it is that desire that calls me to policy work. […]

Read More

CATEGORIES
Health Forward, Policy

Missourians don’t despair, they stand and fight back

By Cecilia Belser-Patton on July 20, 2020
Inclusion & Equity Director
Yes On 2/Healthcare For Missouri

Earlier this month, we celebrated our nation’s Independence Day and the as-yet-unrealized vision of the Founders to secure, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  Of course, not all of us have enjoyed these allegedly inalienable rights. COVID-19 has shone a bright light on the health care disparities that have plagued our state since long […]

Read More

CATEGORIES
Health Care, Health Reform, Policy, Safety Net

‘Sorry, you don’t qualify’: Many Missourians can’t access affordable health coverage

By Erica Andrade on July 8, 2020
Chief Program Officer
El Centro Inc.

How I dread having to utter the words, “Sorry, you don’t qualify.” Every year, as we assist hard-working families to sign up for Medicaid or the insurance marketplace, this is a phase we have to use often.  Worst yet is when we explain to someone that their income is too low to qualify for marketplace […]

Read More

CATEGORIES
Health Reform, Policy

What Missourians need to know to vote Yes on Amendment 2

By Richard von Glahn on June 25, 2020
Policy Director
Missouri Jobs with Justice

I will admit that, in the midst of a global health pandemic that appears to be resurging in Missouri, as well as the protest movement for racial justice, it can be easy to lose focus on things that would otherwise command our attention.  Elections, especially primary elections that tend to have lower turnout anyway, can […]

Read More

CATEGORIES
Health Reform, Policy

Uneven opportunity: Safe and available employment during a pandemic

By Karen Dehais on June 12, 2020
Evaluation and Learning Officer
Health Forward Foundation

Even as businesses and workplaces cautiously re-open, Health Forward is acutely aware that among low-income individuals and people of color, employment opportunities, working conditions, and benefits vary dramatically.  Addressing these disparities is essential, as is advocating for policies that advance economic inclusion and health equity. Unemployment disparities We all know that too many people are […]

Read More

CATEGORIES
Pandemic Impact, Policy, Social Factors

A complete census is important for racial equity

By Stephenie Smith, MSW on April 28, 2020
Co-Founder/ Managing Partner
Sophic Solutions, LLC

“The census was designed as a tool to ensure adequate representation, resources, and voting power for citizens, any attempt to use it instead as a means of suppressing the vote, should be and must be viewed as an insidious threat to our overall democracy.” ~ Leon W. Russell, chairman, NAACP Friends, by now you have […]

Read More

CATEGORIES
Policy

Emerging data show COVID-19 disproportionately impacts communities of color

By Qiana Thomason on April 23, 2020
President/CEO
Health Forward Foundation

An abundance of national historical data reminds us that in public health, when America catches a cold, people of color catch pneumonia. As coronavirus (COVID-19) rips through our communities, it exposes social injustice and divisions that determine whether people have necessary resources to be healthy.  As such, we are paying acute attention to nascent local […]

Read More

CATEGORIES
Health Reform, Healthy Communities, Pandemic Impact, Policy, Social Factors


Health Forward Blog aims to discuss health and health policy issues that impact those most in need in our communities. If you would like your organization to be featured on our blog, please contact us.

Archives
Categories
Health Forward Foundation
2300 Main Street, Suite 304
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 241-7006
Calendar
Careers
Contact
Media Kit
Whistleblower Complaint
Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact
© 2020 Health Forward Foundation