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Inside this issue:

    The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded  Judi Hilman, a fixture in the Utah health reform debate, health policy expert and author of numerous health care advocacy publications, as one of ten exemplary Americans who will receive the Community Health Leaders Award for 2008. The distinguished annual award honors extraordinary men and women from all over the country who conquer huge obstacles and take commanding action in local communities to tackle some of the most challenging health care problems facing the nation. Awardees are celebrated with national recognition and $125,000. This year, more than 800 nominations were submitted from across the United States. Through a rigorous process, the Foundation selected ten outstanding individuals, all of whom have worked to improve health conditions in their communities with exceptional creativity, courage and commitment. The Foundation chose Judi this year for leading the Utah Health Policy Project (UHPP) in its efforts to obtain quality, affordable and comprehensive health care coverage for all Utah residents.

"Judi Hilman exhibits outstanding courage, determination and extraordinary empathy on behalf of individuals and families least able to understand or navigate a system with Machiavellian complexity," said Janice Ford Griffin, national program director for the award. "She is fearless and relentless in persuading policymakers to understand the consequences of their actions and that their opportunities to improve access to quality health care will improve the quality of life for the entire state."

Judi co-founded UHPP in 2006 as a direct response to startling statistics showing that nearly 400,000 Utah residents live without health insurance of any kind. She aggressively works for a health care system in Utah that provides medically necessary care to every resident of the state. Core uninsured communities affected by her advocacy are low-income and medically underserved residents, including Medicaid and CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) enrollees, and members of Utah's growing ethnic minority populations.

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UTAH HEALTH REFORMER JUDI HILMAN ONE OF TEN AMERICANS CHOSEN TO RECEIVE NATIONAL AWARD FOR IMPROVING LOCAL HEALTH CONDITIONS

November 2008  Issue # 29

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