Health Affairs

This week, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation released results of a survey that aimed to find out what Americans think about the country’s role in global health. The February 2012 telephone poll asked a variety of questions, including whether US spending on global health is at an appropriate level. Other questions went beyond health to explore, for example, foreign aid in general.

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), an operating foundation, has offices in Menlo Park, California, and Washington, DC. It maintains an online gateway on US Global Health Policy, which is chock-full of data, KFF publications, news, a “policy tracker” describing “the latest action” from Congress and the Obama administration, webcasts, a helpful glossary, and more—all centered on global health.

For many years, the foundation has focused special attention on South Africa. Through its Program for Health and Development in South Africa, it continues its longstanding commitment to help the country “develop the people, plans and programs to aid in establishing a more equitable national health system and a successful democracy.”

Now back to the survey results!

On May 21, the KFF released a survey report, 2012 Survey of Americans on the U.S. Role in Global Health. Designed and analyzed by the foundation and carried out by Braun Research under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International, the survey focused on efforts by the United States to improve health in developing countries. (For detailed information on the survey [methodology and toplines], see page 26–41 of the report.) Read the rest of this entry »

The tragedy that occurred in Joplin in May 2011 is back in the news as its anniversary rolls around. This week, President Obama delivered the commencement address to the 2012 graduating class of Joplin High School. The twister arrived just after the 2011 graduation ceremony, completely destroying the school. The new school is supposed to open in August 2014, according to the school system’s website.

This post describes a new film released by the Missouri Foundation for Health on May 17. It shows how people and organizations in the small southwest Missouri city of Joplin are collaborating “to build a stronger, healthier community,” the funder says.

The sixteen-minute film is titled “Who We Are Now—Joplin: One Year Later.” In case you somehow missed this disaster or have forgotten what it is all about, an Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) 5 tornado hit this community—161 people died, and $2 billion in damage resulted, the funder said.

The Missouri Foundation for Health, a statewide philanthropy based in St. Louis, produced this film containing interviews with survivors of the storm, health professionals (including the executive director of the Joplin Community Clinic and the vice president of clinical services at the Ozark Center, which provides behavioral health services), and other key community figures. Read the rest of this entry »

This week, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a national plan to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. The National Alzheimer’s Project Act, legislation that was passed unanimously by both houses of Congress (yes, you read that correctly!) in 2010 required HHS to come up with a plan, said a press release I received from Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). Collins cosponsored the legislation with former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN).

The press release notes that an estimated 5.4 million Americans now have Alzheimer’s disease. Beyond the suffering that this chronic disease causes, “it costs the United States $183 billion a year, primarily in nursing home and other long-term care costs,” the release said. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, according to the National Institute on Aging.

I would guess that if someone in your family does not suffer from Alzheimer’s, you have a friend whose parent or grandparent has gone down that path.

Here are a just a few quick examples of what foundations are supporting in the area of prevention and research on Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Read the rest of this entry »