Nine Journalists Named as 2009 Kaiser Media Fellows

Program Encourages Journalists to Examine Health Policy Issues In-depth

MENLO PARK, Calif., May 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Kaiser Family
Foundation today announced the nine journalists selected to participate in
this year's Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health program. The Kaiser Media
Fellows will engage in group site visits focused on health policy issues and
attend special briefings with leading health policy experts and practitioners
to increase their understanding of current health policy issues, while working
on in-depth reporting projects on a variety of policy-related topics. The
Fellows will also receive training in multimedia reporting techniques.

The 2009 Kaiser Media Fellows will undertake the following projects:

-- Lawrence K. Altman, M.D., "The Doctor's World" columnist
and former senior medical correspondent, The New York Times, NY
-- Reporting on the health of Presidential and political candidates.
-- Paula Andalo, managing editor, El Tiempo Latino, Washington DC
-- The role community clinics play in providing care for Hispanic
immigrants.
-- Allison Aubrey, health correspondent, National Public Radio,
Washington
DC
-- Creating a culture of wellness: what are the key steps needed?
-- Sindya N. Bhanoo, freelance contributor, The Washington Post Health
Section, San Francisco, CA
-- eHealth--balancing the benefits of electronic medical records with
privacy concerns.
-- Guy Boulton, business reporter/healthcare, The Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel, WI
-- Efficiency and effectiveness in medical care.
-- Monique Fields, metro reporter, The Birmingham News, AL
-- The Mental Health Parity Act and its impact on mental health care
in
Alabama.
-- Mark N. Trahant, freelance journalist, former editorial page editor,
The
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA
-- Examining the Indian Health Service and its relevance to the
national health reform debate.
-- Anita Wadhwani, freelance journalist, Nashville, TN
-- Cuts to the TennCare program and the impact on patients.
-- David Wahlberg, health/medicine reporter, Wisconsin State Journal,
Madison, WI

-- Challenges in providing health care services to rural communities.

"Since we established this program in 1993, 107 journalists have participated,
it's been a key part of our commitment to health journalism," said Kaiser
President and CEO Drew Altman.

The Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health program provides journalists with
flexibility to pursue in-depth research projects combined with newsroom
reporting while participating in group site visits and briefings on a variety
of health policy issues. In February 2009, the Fellows spent a week in
Pennsylvania for a series of briefings on the state's health reform
initiatives, including efforts to reduce medical errors and cut health costs.
The 2009 Fellows will meet for an intensive three-day workshop on multimedia
reporting, including blogging and audio-visual reporting, and in November the
Fellows will convene at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, for
a three-day program on spreadsheet reporting and multimedia techniques and
technologies.

The fellowship projects can take as long as nine months or as little as a few
months to complete, but all fellows participate in site visits and seminars
throughout the year. Stipends are awarded based on the length of the
fellowship, up to $55,000 for a nine-month period. The program also covers
expenses, such as travel and computer equipment, based on the needs of the
project.

Fellows are selected by a national advisory committee, which reviews
fellowship applications and interviews finalists. The Kaiser Media Fellowship
Program National Advisory Committee members are:

-- Paul Delaney, director, Initiative on Racial Mythology, Washington, DC
-- Timothy Johnson, M.D., medical editor, ABC News
-- Bill Kovach, chairman, Committee of Concerned Journalists
-- Sharon Rosenhause, former managing editor, The South Florida
Sun-Sentinel

-- Joanne Silberner, health policy correspondent, National Public Radio

Over one hundred Kaiser Fellows have been selected since Kaiser began its
journalism program in 1993. The journalists have represented some of the
leading print, radio and television news organizations in the nation. A
complete list of Kaiser Fellows and other program details are
http://www.kff.org/mediafellows/fellowshipsinhealth/index.cfm.

The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation,
based in Menlo Park, California, dedicated to producing and communicating the
best possible information, research and analysis on health issues.

SOURCE Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Rakesh Singh of the Kaiser Family Foundation, +1-650-854-9400, Rsingh@Kff.Org