Workshop explored rural health issuesSpeakers' presentations and tip sheets are available for AHCJ members. Nearly a quarter of America's population lives in rural areas. Look past the idyllic settings, though, and signs of serious health issues are everywhere: Rural residents are generally older and more likely to live in poverty. Chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease are rampant in rural America, and residents tend to live miles away from doctors and hospitals. The Rural Health Journalism Workshop in Kansas City focused on special health concerns of rural populations and how reporters can better cover their stories. The workshop offered a primer on what journalists need to know about rural residents and rural health issues, a chronic doctor shortage, the stories of an aging population, children and their special health needs, and the growing concerns of oral health and mental health in large underserved areas. A special luncheon address explored health reform. Health Journalism 2010 draws crowd The newsmaker briefings with HHS Sect. Sebelius and CDC Director Frieden were standing-room-only events. |
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AHCJ has teamed up with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – with the support of the CDC Foundation – for this national fellowship program for journalists. Ten fellows are chosen to spend a week studying public health issues at two CDC campuses.
Six journalists have been named to this year's class of AHCJ-National Library of Medicine fellows. The fellowship program was created to increase reporters' access and understanding of the considerable resources available at NLM and the National Institutes of Health.
AHCJ members will now get 
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Fan, friend or Twitter with AHCJ: Join the 1,750 people who are following AHCJ on Twitter: follow AHCJ_Pia. AHCJ members can join the group on LinkedIn, a professional networking Web site that can help you connect with colleagues. Or, on Facebook, sign up to be a "fan" of AHCJ and interact with other fans as well as get updates about AHCJ events and news via Facebook. Tips about Twitter for health journalists: More and more journalists and people in communications are using Twitter, an Internet-based microblogging service. However, Twitter can be difficult to understand at first and many journalists wonder just how they would use it. Here are some tips especially for health journalists on using Twitter
Covering the Health of Local Nursing Homes
This reporting guide gives a head start to journalists who want to pursue stories about one of the most vulnerable populations – nursing home residents. It offers advice about Web sites, datasets, research and other resources. After reading this book, journalists can have more confidence in deciphering nursing home inspection reports, interviewing advocacy groups on all sides of an issue, locating key data, and more. The book includes story examples and ideas.
AHCJ publishes these reporting guides, with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to help journalists understand and accurately report on specific subjects.
DATA
Investigating hospitals: Find stories with ready-to-use Hospital Compare data
How do your local hospitals stack against their competitors, others in your state and hospitals across the country? When HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt unveiled a patient survey database at the AHCJ conference in March, members filed story after story about their local hospitals. Now, AHCJ has made it easier for journalists to compare hospitals in their regions by generating spreadsheet files from the HHS database, allowing members to compare more than a few hospitals at a time, using spreadsheet or database software. AHCJ provides key documentation and explanatory material to help you understand the data possibilities and limits. Need help in analyzing Excel files? AHCJ offers a tutorial about investigating health data using spreadsheets.
Easier-to-use Nursing Home Compare data
AHCJ has taken key elements from the federal Nursing Home Compare database and put them into a more manageable format in Excel spreadsheets. This allows members to quickly analyze the most recent Nursing Home Compare data for local stories about ratings or violations. For additional help for members, AHCJ created a tip sheet about summarizing spreadsheets to create categories and counts. AHCJ has made it easy to see when the data was last updated, what the star rating of a facility is, identifies serious violations and whether a violation was cited during a routine survey or after a complaint.
MEMBER BENEFITS
 Photo by dbdbrobot via Flickr. |
Directory of freelance health journalists
Looking for a freelancer with expertise in a specific area of health? Are you a freelancer trying to get your expertise known? Take a look at our just-updated AHCJ Freelance Directory to choose from more than 60 highly experienced health journalists!
Freelance members of AHCJ are invited to list their specialties, post résumés, bios, Web links – even story clips. The handy state-by-state directory allows hiring editors to zero in on geography or expertise to find the perfect candidate to approach for work. And it’s free for AHCJ freelancers and hiring editors!
AHCJ offers mentoring program to its members 
Although AHCJ has long been known for its supportive network of members, we have launched a more formal program to link members seeking some guidance with members who have recognized expertise in specific areas. This will be especially helpful to those new to the beat or those who have had health coverage added to an already long list of duties. The number of members we are able to assist will depend upon the number of long-time health care journalists within our ranks willing to share some of their time as mentors. Sign up today!
‘Downsized’ members can take advantage of AHCJ program 
Although AHCJ membership continued to increase over the past year as more journalists learned of its training opportunities and useful services, the group recognizes the strain under which the news media finds itself. The economic downturn has resulted in layoffs, buyouts and downsizings in several industries, including our own. AHCJ's board and staff believe it's important to retain all the talented professionals who make up our membership. With that in mind, AHCJ is announcing a Transition Assistance Program to help members who are forced into a job change. Any current AHCJ member who is laid off or is required to take a buyout is eligible for TAP.
SLIM GUIDES
AHCJ's slim guides walk reporters through specific topics, highlighting resources, story ideas, tips from experience journalists and stories that others have done well. Titles in the series include:
• Covering the Health of Local Nursing Homes
• Navigating the CDC: A Journalist’s Guide to the CDC Web Site
• Covering Obesity: A Guide for Reporters
• Covering Hospitals: Using Tools on the Web
AHCJ publishes these reporting guides, with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to help journalists understand and accurately report on specific subjects.
FREE ONLINE TRAINING
Course teaches how to evaluate hospitals
This free innovative simulation, "On the Beat: Covering Hospitals," guides you through the sources and resources you need to tackle the beat. You'll tap into the same tools that you'll use on the job, and you'll have a virtual mentor to walk you through the maze of reports, statistics and sources. Two story lines will teach you about reporting on hospital quality and how to report on hospital finances. Start today to hone your critical-thinking skills and gain the beat-specific knowledge needed to cover the hospitals in your community.
This online training module combines the reporting expertise of AHCJ with NewsU’s innovative e-learning experience and is made possible through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Covering Health in a Multicultural Society
AHCJ has launched an interactive e-class as the online companion to the book “Covering Health in a Multicultural Society: A Resource Guide for Journalists.” Enroll in the class to take part in discussion forums and take short quizzes to test your knowledge. Complete the e-class, and get a certificate of completion. The course is a resource for understanding the increasing diversity of the audiences AHCJ members serve.
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Reporting Guides
