FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 21, 2008

Contact: Len Bruzzese, AHCJ executive director, 573-884-5606

Rural health journalism workshop aims to strengthen reporting

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Journalists will gather at the Missouri School of Journalism to learn from health experts and colleagues on the special health concerns of America’s rural population. The Rural Health Journalism Workshop 2008, set for May 2-4, will be conducted by the Association of Health Care Journalists and its Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism.

Session topics will include:

· Diabetes prevention and treatment in susceptible communities

· Data and mapping: Resources for visualizing rural health

· Addressing current and future health workforce hurdles

· Are services keeping up with an aging population?

· Status of oral and vision health in rural America

· How Medicare drug and fee plans affect rural health

· Mental health: From substance abuse to access barriers

The afternoon kick-off event on May 2 will include a panel discussion to set the workshop theme: “What reporters should know about rural residents.” A reception will follow.

Panels will continue all day Saturday, May 3. An optional three-hour hands-on class will be offered Sunday to introduce computer-assisted reporting techniques for health coverage. Seating is limited for the Sunday session, so advance sign-up is required.

"Journalists will leave this workshop with tools to better understand and investigate rural health issues,” said Len Bruzzese, executive director of AHCJ. “Our lineup of speakers will provide attendees with several months’ worth of significant story ideas.”

The workshop will be hosted by the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. Workshop sponsors include The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, Diabetes Initiative, and the Midwest Health Journalism Program. Additional assistance is being provided by the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues.

The Association of Health Care Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public understanding of health care issues. Its mission is to improve the quality, accuracy and visibility of health care reporting, writing and editing. Its offices are based at the Missouri School of Journalism.

For more information on the workshop, visit www.healthjournalism.org or call 573-884-5606.