Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recognizes Louisville for collaboration, data driven decision-making, and a shared commitment to health
LOUISVILLE (Sept. 14, 2016) — Louisville, Ky. is one of seven winners of the 2016 RWJF Culture of Health Prize awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Prize honors communities for their efforts to ensure all residents have the opportunity to live longer, healthier and more productive lives.
This national award recognizes Louisville for bringing partners together to rally around a shared vision of health, drawing especially on the wisdom, voice and experience of residents themselves. Chosen from nearly 200 applicant communities across the country, Louisville earned the prestigious RWJF Prize for its commitment to health equity, data-driven decision making, collective impact, violence prevention efforts, and for its innovation in engaging artists to improve health.
“The City of Louisville is honored to be acknowledged among the seven 2016 Culture of Health Prize communities. This recognition is a testament to the great work being done across our community by civic, nonprofit and corporate partners, with the goal of eliminating health inequities and improving the overall health in our community,” said Mayor Greg Fischer.
“The RWJF Culture of Health Prize communities show us that in towns and regions across the nation, individuals are coming together to find powerful ways to help people achieve the best health possible. These communities are connecting the dots between health and education, jobs, housing and community safety,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, RWJF president and CEO. “We’re privileged to learn from this growing network of communities that offer hope for the well-being of the entire nation.”
Louisville will join a network of Prize-winning communities, receive a $25,000 cash prize, and have its inspiring accomplishments shared nationally by RWJ, the largest philanthropy in the U.S. focused solely on health. The other six winning communities are: 24:1 Community in the St. Louis area of Missouri; Columbia Gorge Region of Oregon and Washington; Manchester, New Hampshire; Miami-Dade County, Florida; Santa Monica, California, and the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe in Washington.
To become an RWJF Culture of Health Prize winner, Louisville had to demonstrate how it excelled in the following six criteria:
● Defining health in the broadest possible terms.
● Committing to sustainable systems changes and policy-oriented long-term solutions.
● Cultivating a shared and deeply-held belief in the importance of equal opportunity for health.
● Harnessing the collective power of leaders, partners, and community members.
● Securing and making the most of available resources.
● Measuring and sharing progress and results.
Louisville will join this year’s other Prize winning communities at the Culture of Health Prize Celebration and Learning Event taking place at Robert Wood Johnson Foundation headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey on October 19-20.
The Louisville Culture of Health Prize application team, including the Community Foundation of Louisville, Greater Louisville Project, IDEAS xLab, and KentuckyOne Health, invites those who participated in the application process and those who want to help carry the work forward to attend Louisville’s Culture of Health: Putting Good Health Within Everyone’s Reach, a free learning and celebration event on Monday, Nov. 7, 2-7 p.m. at the Muhammad Ali Center. For more information, and to register, visit http://cultureofhealth-lou.eventbrite.com.
Learn more about Louisville’s work, as well as this year’s other Prize winners through a collection videos, photos, and more at www.rwjf.org/Prize.
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