Author Archives: Kimberly Leonard

Kimberly Leonard

About Kimberly Leonard

Kimberly Leonard (@leonardkl) is a member of AHCJ’s Right to Know Committee and co-chair of the Washington, D.C., chapter. She covers Congress, the White House, and the Department of Health and Human Services as a health care reporter for the Washington Examiner.

More than 80 attend D.C. chapter’s eighth annual holiday party

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Photo: Phil GalewitzMore than 80 people attended the AHCJ D.C. chapter holiday party. There were reporters from Kaiser Health News, The Hill, The New York Times, Politico, Stat and many independent journalists.

The eighth annual holiday party for the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Association of Health Care Journalists hosted reporters alongside a record number of public affairs officials from government agencies.

About 20 spokespeople were in attendance, representing the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Indian Health Service, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Administration for Community Living, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. Continue reading →

D.C. health journalists gather for rooftop happy hour

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Photo: Misty Williams/CQ Roll Call

The D.C. chapter of the Association of Health Care Journalists kicked off the fall season with a happy hour hosting public affairs officials from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The happy hour took place on Sept. 6 on the rooftop of CQ Roll Call, which overlooks the White House and the Capitol. Reporters enjoyed cold beverages, pizza and assorted snacks.

About 60 people attended, including independent journalists and reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, Fierce Healthcare, Kaiser Health News, and The Hill. Continue reading →

D.C. chapter gathers for annual rooftop happy hour

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Photo: Phil GalewitzTina Reed, of Fierce Healthcare, makes some announcements and welcomes attendees to the Washington, D.C., rooftop happy hour on June 7, 2018.

Members of the D.C. chapter of the Association of Health Care Journalists gathered on June 7 for their annual rooftop happy hour on Pennsylvania Avenue, at a building overlooking the White House.

The fifth annual event was hosted by the National Pharmaceutical Council, with more than 100 people attending. Journalists and senior health communications staff were present, and met informally over drinks and catered food.  Continue reading →

Verma participates in first of promised series of ’roundtables’ with reporters

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Seema Verma

Seema Verma, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, held her first on-the-record, in-person meeting with reporters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday as the agency pledged to make her more accessible, through both smaller and larger gatherings.

Verma spoke with 10 reporters for one hour, beginning the conversation by discussing the sustainability of Medicare and then answering reporters’ questions on Medicaid expansion, value-based care, and the Affordable Care Act. Continue reading →

Opioids the topic of daylong training for D.C. journalists

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Photo: Ryan Basen Baltimore Health Commissioner Leana Wen, right, helps demonstrate how naloxone is administered.

Health journalists in Washington, D.C., participated in an all-day training session about reporting on the opioid crisis, hearing from treatment experts, medical providers and public health advocates.

The event took place Feb. 23 at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, and was a partnership between the D.C. chapter of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the National Press Foundation. Continue reading →

HHS secretary promises ‘open and transparent’ relationship with media

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Alex Azar

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar pledged in his first on-the-record press conference Tuesday that he will have an “open and transparent” relationship with reporters, and said he does not envision a scenario in which anyone would be banned from covering the agency.

The statement, a welcome commitment to reporters, came one week after the Association of Health Care Journalists sent Azar a letter urging him to hold regular press conferences. Continue reading →