Rx Foundation

We are thrilled to introduce our newest team member, Blessitt Bryant! Blessitt joins the Rx Foundation as our Strategic Communications Manager from a decade-long career in the nonprofit advocacy space, leading online movements that spur real, quantifiable action. Blessitt has?served in senior digital communication and strategy roles at the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union, and has led political organizing projects focused on racial justice for high-profile clients such as the Los Angeles Black Worker Center, NAACP, Movement 4 Black Lives, and NBC Universal. As a Black, queer, nonbinary person with cerebral palsy, Blessitt’s commitment to social?justice extends beyond the office—they are also a social media influencer changing the?definition of beauty by showing that being comfortable in your skin is always in style. A?Midwest native, Blessitt can often be found promenading the streets in one of their favorite?capes, dusters, or kimonos. Join us in warmly welcoming Blessitt to our team! ??

"The work of organizers of color is in response to persistent government inaction and indifference to making concrete investments in building the capacity of communities to address the social drivers of health that are exacerbating the mass disabling event that is Long COVID." –Angela Meriquez Vázquez, MSW in "Still On the Margins: Long COVID Patients of Color" As Long COVID?continues to negatively impact communities of color,?trans people, and women, organizations like Network for Long COVID Justice are?working through a disability justice lens to?build power?with people living with Long COVID and associated conditions (pwLCAC), and other disabled people, to?shape and lead research, policy, advocacy, and narrative organizing?around the issues that impact their lives and their communities. Join us next week on Thursday at 12:30pm EST to learn about "Community-led Solutions and Movement Building for Health Justice", as we hear from Long COVID Justice and the People's CDC. Full details ?? Registration ?? https://lnkd.in/eiHzxb8P #DisabilityJustice #HealthEquity #LongCOVID #HealthJustice

ICYMI: Our latest Power is a Social Determinant of Health session with Trust for Public Land is now on our website! Watch the webinar on-demand to learn from colleagues at TPL and Parque Padrinos as they dive into the academic research around social capital, cohesion, and civic engagement through park engagement, and detail how activating a park generated a movement with long-ranging impacts on community power and health equity in Wenatchee, Washington ?? https://lnkd.in/e2GqSnZU #HealthEquity #PublicParks #Democracy #CommunityPower

You're Invited: Join us for our next Power is a Social Determinant of Health webinar session on 10/24 at 12:30pm EST with Network for Long COVID Justice and the People's CDC on the topic of "Community-led solutions & movement building for health justice"! The panel will dive into questions that include: ? What is disability justice? How does this framework help us approach questions of health equity holistically through a lens that we think of as the “structural determinants of health”? ? What are some examples of people-led health responses from the gaps and failures of healthcare institutions, media, and public health systems? ? How can the Long COVID crisis act as a point of entry or on-ramp to help us build power and grow a movement with and across a wide range of communities? #Webinar #CommunityOrganizing #PowerBuilding #PublicHealth #LongCOVID

“Reproductive justice is broader than just legal protections for abortion. It's very easy to hear things like ‘reproductive freedom’ or ‘reproductive liberty’ and equate it to just that, but it's actually much more broader than that. It goes back to all those other supports we need in place so that when a person does have to make that decision about if, when, and how to expand their family, there are good answers to their questions.” –Dr. Regina Davis Moss, In Our Own Voice For our latest newsletter issue, we chatted with Rx grant partner In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda! IOOV is committed to?working together for social change so that all?Black women and girls have the complete economic, social, and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about their bodies, their?families and their communities in all areas of their lives. We left our conversation with Dr. Davis Moss?feeling more hopeful about the future, and hope you feel the same way too. You can read the full convo ?? and on our website www.rxfoundation.org/ #ReproductiveJustice #Advocacy #EconomicJustice #SocialJustice

Join us next Wednesday at 1pm EST to hear from Trust for Public Land on the topic of parks, community power and #HealthEquity! Full details & Zoom registration link ?

?? We are #hiring a Strategic Communications Manager! Are you passionate about storytelling and digital communications? This role combines the two, and focuses on the work, learnings, and impact of the extraordinary leaders, organizations, and networks that the Rx Foundation supports. Check out the full job description at https://lnkd.in/exDGTBtd for the position's roles and responsibilities, qualifications, compensation, and instructions on how to apply. We are accepting applicants on a rolling basis, now through October 31st.

We're nearly two weeks away from our next Power session with Trust for Public Land ?? On 9/25 at 1pm Eastern, colleagues from TPL will explore the academic research around social capital, cohesion, and civic engagement through park engagement; and answer questions like, "how can partnerships with the health sector improve community parks and strengthen democracy?" TPL, and their community partner, Parque Padrinos, will detail how activating a park generated a movement, with long-ranging impacts on community power and health equity. Register now to join us! ? https://lnkd.in/ewsN9WHR #PublicHealth #HealthEquity #Democracy #CivicEngagement

How can individuals and institutions in #Health?promote civic health? And what impact can voting and other civic engagement activities have on health equity? In their recent piece for Health Affairs, Jeanne Ayers, Gnora R.G. Mahs, Dr.P.H., M.P.H. and Anthony Iton detail the historical link between #HealthEquity and #Voting and showcase three present day measures – led by Vot-ER, Wisconsin’s Health Improvement Plan, and the coalition We Choose Us – to "not only talk about the importance of voting to health but also help people register to vote and encourage them to, in fact, vote." The data is clear, "...there is ample evidence, historical and contemporary, linking voting and health. There are also a number of brave initiatives around the country illustrating what leaders in health can do. Given the?ongoing attempts to restrict voting, especially for Black, Latinx, and American Indian voters, we call on our colleagues to explore how they, and the institutions they work in, can strengthen voting and support the health of our democracy." ? Read their piece to learn more about the ?? and the ways in which health professionals and institutions can get involved as champions for health equity and an inclusive, representative democracy ??

ICYMI, our latest newsletter issue features the National Network for Arab American Communities, and one of its member organizations, Culturingua! Since 2022, NNAAC has built a powerful and effective capacity-building program to support their national network of community-based organizations.?In this newsletter issue, we share highlights from our recent Power is a Social Determinant of Health webinar with NNAAC and Culturingua to discuss their capacity-building program in depth. No matter your focus area or seat at the table – as a funder or practitioner – you will find value in learning more about NNAAC’s national model for #Advocacy and how they’re building a network of organizations committed to long-lasting and durable change at the local, state, and national levels ?