Deaf Minnesota Health Care Advocate Anita Buel Chosen As One Of Ten Americans To Receive $125,000 National Award For Improving Local Health Conditions

PRINCETON, NJ (October 27, 2008) – The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation today announced Anita Buel, a Deaf Minnesota community health worker, 25-year breast cancer survivor and longtime advocate for the health and health care of Minnesota’s Deaf population, 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 and 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 Buel this year for her leadership in expanding services to the Deaf community through the Deaf Community Health Worker Program, a network of trained and state-certified Deaf men and women who help Deaf residents throughout Minnesota overcome language, comprehension and cultural barriers that prevent them from obtaining quality health care. Buel will accept her award on October 29 at a special ceremony honoring each of the 2008 recipients during the Community Health Leaders Annual Meeting in San Diego.

"Anita Buel is a woman of extraordinary courage and ingenuity in the face of formidable challenges," said Janice Ford Griffin, national program director for the award. "Her tenacious efforts to assure access to quality care for Deaf persons is an example for anyone working to improve health and health care for any population." Buel’s groundbreaking work with the Deaf Community Health Worker Program enables Minnesota’s Deaf population to better understand their health issues and feel empowered to promote health and wellness in their community. She leads efforts to ensure that Deaf people are equipped with comprehensible information they need to make good health care decisions; are able advocate for themselves and receive significant support in the face of serious illness.

The program has improved health care outcomes for thousands of Deaf people throughout Minnesota. Buel’s network of Deaf community health workers actively participates in Deaf residents’ medical appointments, hospital stays and emergency room visits to avoid ineffective communication from occurring, which leaves Deaf patients feeling confused, frustrated, nervous, frightened, traumatized and lonely. To expedite the reduction of health care disparities in the Deaf community, her program promotes the importance of health literacy and education, disease prevention and medical follow-up directly to Minnesota’s Deaf population through regular health care forums, seminars and support group meetings - all in American Sign Language.

"Interpreters are not the solution for ensuring Deaf people’s comprehension of medical information," said Buel. "This award will help us continue serving as a vital voice for the Deaf Community on this important issue and working to improve the health and well-being of our lives."

The Deaf Community Health Worker Program has proven to be particularly useful in Minnesota, home to about 68,000 Deaf individuals. Prior to its existence, a systematic structure with a trained network of all-Deaf service providers did not exist in the state to break through cultural, comprehension and language barriers for Deaf people with serious health care problems. In a letter of recommendation supporting Buel’s nomination for the award, Judy Brambrink, also a Deaf breast cancer survivor, wrote that Buel is "there for us day and night to help us understand our medical problems" proclaiming that without Buel’s assistance "I would not be alive."

Buel and each of the 2008 awardees will join the ranks of 153 Community Health Leaders in
45 states and Puerto Rico honored since 1993. The $125,000 award consists of a $20,000 personal gift and $105,000 to support their work. In addition to Buel in Minnesota, this year, Community Health Leaders hail from California, Pennsylvania, Alabama, North Dakota, Massachusetts, Utah, New York and Hawaii. Nominations can be submitted for the 2009 Community Health Leaders Award through November 7, 2008. For details on how to submit a nomination, including eligibility requirements and selection criteria, visit www.communityhealthleaders.org.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

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