Mission

Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism

The Center is classified as a supporting 501(c)(3) for AHCJ, Inc.

Mission Statement

The purpose of the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism is to ensure that journalists are properly trained to cover news events, trends, and issues in all aspects of health care journalism, including the business of health care, public policy, medical research, medical practice, consumer health issues, public health, health law, and ethics. The core principles guiding the Center are:

• That journalists who are properly trained can better convey the complex dimensions of health care challenges and issues in the United States and the world.
• That news coverage about health and health care must remain independent. It must analyze health care issues with fairness, accuracy, and balance.
• That high-quality journalism about health and health care issues can increase the capacity of citizens and policymakers to adopt health care policies that can improve the health of all citizens.
• That high-quality journalism about health and health care issues can improve the ability of citizens to make wise decisions about behaviors that promote health, treatment options, and their choice of health care providers.

Center Policies

The Center shall organize, facilitate, and present discussions in a neutral and informative manner by exploring varying views and perceptions of health and health care.

The Center’s Board of Directors shall make the final decisions concerning content of programs and presentations, regardless of the source of funding — by grant, contribution, or other form.§

The Center supports the Association of Health Care Journalists, Inc. by securing grants and other funding to subsidize the costs of conferences, workshops, reporting resources, a web site, and other professional development efforts. The Center shall be bound by the fundraising policies of the Association.

Contributions to the Center are deductible as charitable contributions. Through grant and other funding, The Center supports the Association of Health Care Journalists, Inc. by providing funding for conference stipends, special workshops, reporting resources, this web site, and other efforts. It is guided by a 12-member Board of Directors.