Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation Expands Its Board

JENNIFER BUSH-LAWSON FOUNDATION EXPANDS ITS BOARD
Kelly Garrity and Elizabeth Ingram join the board of directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Jennifer Myers
703-462-2336, jmyers@jb-lf.org

ARLINGTON, VA, FEBRUARY 28, 2019 – The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (JB-LF) announces that Kelly Garrity and Elizabeth Ingram have joined its board of directors, effective February 27, 2019. Their addition is part of a planned expansion of JB-LF’s board, and the foundation expects to add an additional board member later this year.

Garrity is the Senior Director of Membership Services and Development at the National Health Council, where she has worked since 2008. She is also a founding member, fundraising chair and legislative co-chair of the Virginia chapter of the Star Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing pregnancy loss and neonatal death and improving care for families who experience such tragedies.

“I’m thrilled to be able to combine my nonprofit professional experience and personal experience with a high-risk pregnancy to help JB-LF achieve its mission,” says Kelly Garrity.

Ingram, a preschool teacher at Westover Baptist, has volunteered with JB-LF since its launch, dedicating her time to serve as a co-chair and the race director of the annual 5K & Family Fun Day. This new role will allow her to become even more involved in JB-LF’s activities in the community.

“The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation is in an exciting phase of growth, with a new event series on maternal and infant health as well as a newly launched Prize for Prenatal Innovation. The expertise that our new board members bring will help us achieve our plans for growth so that we can improve the lives of even more economically vulnerable moms and babies,” said Neal Lawson, founder and chair of JB-LF.

About the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation

Established in honor of Jenn Lawson, who lost her life in 2014, the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, serves economically vulnerable mothers and infants by working to increase access to high-quality maternal and infant health care and support. Jennifer was a loving, dedicated mother of three, driven to advocacy after receiving high-quality care during her own complicated pregnancies. JB-LF seeks to embody her generous spirit by giving all mothers and newborns the means to thrive. For more information, visit www.jenniferbushlawsonfoundation.org.

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Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation Opens Applications for Inaugural $25K Prize for Prenatal Innovation

 

ARLINGTON, VA, DECEMBER 14, 2018 – The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (JB-LF) announces that applications are now open for the inaugural $25,000 Prize for Prenatal Innovation at JB-LF.org/Prize.

More than one-third of births in Washington, DC, receive no prenatal care in the first trimester, according to a recent report from the city’s Department of Health. That number is not much better in neighboring Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, where 29-30% of women didn’t receive prenatal care during their first trimesters. In Arlington County, VA, 1 in 5 births in the county lacked care in the first trimester — a number that is worse than the state average.

The first trimester can be a critical time for doctors to catch chronic health conditions of the mother that could affect the health of both mom and baby. Too many economically vulnerable moms also miss prenatal appointments in the second and third trimesters because of lack of leave or flexibility with work, childcare concerns or problems with transportation. JB-LF, which works to increase access to pre- and post-natal care for economically vulnerable moms and their babies, wants to change that.

By launching this inaugural $25,000 Prize for Prenatal Innovation, the Foundation seeks to uncover and support forward-thinking solutions that have the potential to improve access to prenatal care for disadvantaged women in the greater Washington, DC region.

Who Should Apply

JB-LF welcomes applications from any nonprofit, government or for-profit entity that has an innovative or creative project targeting prenatal care for economically disadvantaged women in the DC area, with a preference for projects that are measurable and have the potential to scale. We see the Virginia, Maryland and DC region as an incubator for these innovative ideas, and by tracking the effectiveness of any project or intervention funded by the prize, our goal is to be able to share successes with other cities and regions tackling similar issues.

“Our country’s maternal health and mortality crisis shows that the way we’re delivering prenatal care right now, especially for economically vulnerable women, simply isn’t working well enough. We need to fund and test new and innovative ideas and then share those solutions broadly. That’s exactly what this Prize seeks to do,” said Neal Lawson, founder and chair of the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation.

Timeline

Applications are now open for the Prize and the deadline to apply is February 28, 2019. Our three-judge panel will then review applications in March and April 2019, with finalists expected to be announced in early May 2019 and a winner in late May/early June 2019. (Timeline subject to change based on the number of applications received.)

Judges’ Committee

Applications will be reviewed by a three-person panel of experts and practitioners. They are:

Sarahn Wheeler

Dr. Sarahn M. Wheeler is a practicing maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Wheeler was born and raised in Mt. Laurel, NJ. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University. She completed medical school at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Wheeler went on to residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Wheeler completed her maternal-fetal medicine sup-specialty training at Duke University in June of 2016.

Dr. Wheeler currently serves as Assistant Professor in the Duke University School of Medicine. In this role, Dr. Wheeler is both a practicing clinician and research faculty. in her clinical role, Dr. Wheeler is the director of Duke’s Prematurity Prevention Program, a specialty clinic that is geared for women with risk factors for preterm birth.  In her research role, Dr. Wheeler has published several peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from fetal brain injury to vaccination during pregnancy. Dr. Wheeler’s current research focus is on race disparities in preterm birth. She is actively involved in research to develop interventions to improve utilization of preterm birth prevention therapies.

Dr. Wheeler also serves as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the OB/GYN department.  In this role she leads efforts to ensure an inclusive environment for the diverse patients, faculty, staff and trainees within Duke OB/GYN.

Toni G. Verstandig

Toni G. Verstandig is currently the Chair of the Children’s Hospital Foundation Board and the Executive Vice President at The S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. From November 1994 until January 2001, Ms. Verstandig served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department. In this capacity, she directed and coordinated U.S. bilateral relations and overall policy developments concerning Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority, as well as U.S. economic and commercial policies in the Middle East.

Ms. Verstandig worked directly with the Secretary of State and the Special Middle East Coordinator as a member of the Peace Team where she participated in bilateral and multilateral Middle East peace negotiations. She has a particular expertise in economic, civil affairs and water issues. She also chaired the bilateral Committees on Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. Prior to joining the Peace Team, Ms. Verstandig served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula, where she coordinated the Bureau’s relations with the congress. In that capacity, she was also responsible for the development and management of U.S. bilateral relations with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.

She also served for 17 years as senior staff to the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives where she specialized in international terrorism policy, aviation security issues and U.S. military assistance programs.

Ms. Verstandig is a graduate of Boston University and Stephens College, and also holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Seton Hill College. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She serves on the Board and Executive Committee of Children’s National Medical Center, the Board of the University of Denver Korbel School for International Affairs, the National Advisory Board for the Catholic Center for the Study of the Holocaust, the Board of Trustees of the American Friends of the Yitzhak Rabin Center, and of the Center for Global Development. Ms. Verstandig is married, and they have one child.

Terri D. Wright

Terri D. Wright, PhD, MPH, is the Vice President for Program and Community at the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation. She has employed her extensive leadership skills and expertise advancing equity and public health through policy, practice, and management in local and national government, philanthropic and non-profit organizations throughout her career, with a specific interest in maternal and infant health.

She served as the first executive director of The Steve Fund, and as director of both the Center for Public Health Policy and the Center for School, Health and Education at the American Public Health Association (APHA). She also served as program director for health policy at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for 12 years, where she developed and reviewed the Foundation’s health programming priorities and initiatives, evaluated and recommended proposals for funding, and administered projects and initiatives. She assisted in public policy funding and related policy program development, as well as provided leadership to the Foundation’s policy programming for systemic change.

Prior to the Kellogg Foundation, Dr. Wright was maternal and child health director and bureau chief for Child and Family Services at the Michigan Department of Community Health. In that role, she managed policy, programs, and resources with the goal of reducing preventable maternal, infant, and child morbidity and mortality through policy and programming in Michigan. She improved the availability and utilization of community-based social support programs for positive pregnancy outcomes and secured federal waivers to demonstrate innovative approaches to reducing unplanned pregnancies and improving pregnancy outcomes.

She has also served as the women’s health director for the Family Health Section in the Georgia Division of Public Health, where she directed statewide program policies, practices and budgets for improving the access and quality of family planning and maternal and infant care services to families in rural and urban communities.

Dr. Wright holds a master’s and a doctorate degree from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree in community and school health from the City University of New York. She is an active member of APHA and was honored with their 2018 Executive Director Citation, and is a former member of the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity and the Elimination of Health Disparities. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband.

Additional Information

More information about eligibility and criteria, as well as the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation, is available at JB-LF.org/Prize.

About the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation

Established in honor of Jenn Lawson, who lost her life in 2014, the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, serves economically vulnerable mothers and infants by working to increase access to high-quality maternal and infant health care and support. Jennifer was a loving, dedicated mother of three, driven to advocacy after receiving high-quality care during her own complicated pregnancies. JB-LF seeks to embody her generous spirit by giving all mothers and newborns the means to thrive.

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8 Fun Things To Do In November (Arlington Magazine)

November 4, 2018 by Holly Rhue

5. Run and play at the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation 5K & Family Fun Day.

The fourth annual 5K & Family Fun Day, honoring the late Jennifer Bush-Lawson, kicks off with a certified 5K course (open to adults and youth), followed by a festival with music, moon bounces, obstacles courses, food trucks, a beer garden, corn hole tournaments, face painting, balloon animals and more. Proceeds will go toward “providing high-quality pediatric and maternal health care services for economically vulnerable expectant mothers and their children” through Virginia Hospital Center.

Date: Nov. 17

Location: 5115 Little Falls Road, Arlington

Full story: https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/8-fun-things-to-do-in-november/5/

Volunteer Spotlight: Elizabeth Ingram

Featured in Volunteer Arlington, October 29, 2018

The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation, a young and growing nonprofit founded in 2014 following the untimely death of Jenn Lawson, knows that the success of its annual event is due in large part to its fearless and dedicated event co-chairs. One event co-chair in particular deserves special recognition for the time she’s volunteered to the organization: Elizabeth Ingram.

“Elizabeth has been with the 5K & Family Fun Day since the very beginning, when it was still in the ideation stage. She stepped into the race director role, helping get it off the ground and then ensuring that each race is one that our runners will look forward to returning to the next year,” said Jennifer Myers, executive director of the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation. “Now, for our fourth annual event, our 5K registrations are pacing ahead of all prior years, and I believe Elizabeth’s hard work has much to do with that.”

Elizabeth is joined this year by two other volunteer co-chairs, Cristin Finkel, who is in her second year co-chairing the event, and Chrissy Campbell, who quickly said yes when asked to to join as a co-chair. The volunteer event committee is rounded out by Moley Evans, Tita Freeman, Nicole Harding, Amanda Harris, Jennifer Judah, Janaki Kates, Heather Myklegard, Ángela Puentes, Midori Rome and Kelly Young.

“The wonderful thing about running a nonprofit in Arlington is that there is such a wealth of talented people who can bring their perspectives and experiences to their volunteer work. We are truly a fortunate community for that,” added Jennifer Myers.

Full story: https://volunteer.leadercenter.org/volunteer-spotlight-elizabeth-ingram 

Virginia Hospital Center Earns $70,000 Grant to Support Pregnant Women (Arlington Now)

by Melanie Pincus, August 1, 2018 at 4:45 pm

The Virginia Hospital Center’s Outpatient Clinic has an additional $70,354 to support uninsured and low-income pregnant women in the area, thanks to a recent grant from the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation.

The bulk of the grant money — $64,354 — will support the second year of a telemedicine pilot program, which facilitates virtual appointments for patients with high-risk pregnancies who are unable to schedule some appointments in-person due to work, child care commitments or transportation barriers.

Another $5,000 will go to “transportation cards” for pregnant women who are low-income. The remaining $1,000 will go to purchasing “pack-and-plays,” which provide a safe place for newborns to sleep, for families in need.

The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation was founded in memory of Jennifer Lawson, a mother of three who died in a 2014 accident. Registration is now open for the fourth annual Jennifer Bush-Lawson 5K & Family Fun Day, scheduled for Nov. 17. The event will raise additional funds for the Virginia Hospital Center’s Outpatient Clinic.

Full story: https://www.arlnow.com/2018/08/01/virginia-hospital-center-earns-70000-grant-to-support-pregnant-women/

Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation Announces $70K Grant for Virginia Hospital Center’s Outpatient Clinic

 

(L to R: Lesley Daigle, Telemedicine Coordinator, Outpatient Clinic; Michelle Altman, Patient Care Director, Outpatient Clinic; Betsy Frantz, President, Virginia Hospital Center Foundation; Jennifer Myers, Executive Director, Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation; Taryn Overman, Senior Director, Patient Care Services)  

ARLINGTON, VA, JULY 31, 2018 – The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (JB-LF) is pleased to announce a grant totaling $70,354 made to Virginia Hospital Center’s Outpatient Clinic this month to support their work with low-income and uninsured pregnant women in the local community.

This funding covered three significant needs at the Outpatient Clinic:

  • $64,354 to fund nursing and care coordination staffing for a second year of a telemedicine pilot program, which will run through June 2019. The telemedicine program, which launched in 2017, allows for increased prenatal monitoring for high-risk pregnancies through virtual appointments for patients who may otherwise may not be able to make in-person appointments due to work schedules, child care needs or transportation issues. The program seeks to reduce NICU admissions, missed and no-show prenatal appointments, and emergency department visits and hospitalizations (other than for delivery) for economically vulnerable OB patients in the Clinic.
  • $5,000 for transportation cards for low-income expectant mothers who need assistance in order to make prenatal appointments.
  • $1,000 for new pack-and-plays for families in need so their newborns have a safe place to sleep.

“We are grateful to the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation for their support of our telemedicine program,” said Michelle Altman, Patient Care Director, Outpatient Clinic at Virginia Hospital Center. “Telemedicine has helped the Clinic to provide comprehensive, holistic, patient-centered care to pregnant patients who are high risk due to gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension and other complications. Through telemedicine, we are able to reach patients wherever they are in the community, whether on the job or at home. This program has facilitated the more continuous follow-up that is required for successful outcomes in complicated pregnancies. We partner with JB-LF to help keep our patients safe and healthy during and after their deliveries.”

“The work that Virginia Hospital Center’s Outpatient Clinic is doing for the most vulnerable members of our community is directly aligned with our mission to give all mothers and newborns the support they need to thrive. We are extremely pleased to continue partnering with them on these important projects, which have a real and immediate impact for those in need,” said Neal Lawson, founder and chair of the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation.

Funds for this grant were raised through the annual Jennifer Bush-Lawson 5K & Family Fun Day. The 4th annual Jennifer Bush-Lawson 5K & Family Fun Day will be held on November 17, 2018, at the Knights of Columbus, 5115 Little Falls Rd, Arlington, VA 22207, and will again raise funds for low-income pregnant patients at Virginia Hospital Center’s Outpatient Clinic. Registration is now open, with early bird pricing available through September 15, 2018, and sponsorships are also available; for more information, visit www.jb-lf.org/5K.

“We are most appreciative to the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation for its continued dedication and support of the Hospital’s most vulnerable population,” said Betsy Frantz, President, Virginia Hospital Center Foundation.

About the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation

Established in honor of Jennifer Lawson, who lost her life in 2014, the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, serves economically vulnerable mothers and infants by working to increase access to high-quality maternal and pediatric health care and support. Jennifer was a loving, dedicated mother of three, driven to advocacy after receiving high-quality care during her own complicated pregnancies. JB-LF seeks to embody her generous spirit by giving all mothers and newborns the means to thrive.

 

 

Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation 5K & Family Fun Day Set For Saturday (ArlNow)

by Chris Teale November 16, 2017 at 1:45 pm

A 5K race and festival in memory of an Arlington mom killed by a passing truck while placing her children in a minivan will be held for the third time on Saturday.

The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Memorial 5K Race begins at 9 a.m. at the Knights of Columbus (5115 Little Falls Road). It will feature a 5K race, a kids’ fun run with Teddy, one of the Washington Nationals’ Racing Presidents, and a “Family Fun Day Festival.”

The family festival will live feature music from local band Gutterball Kingpin, as well as moon bounces, a rock climbing wall, obstacle course, in-line jumper, human hungry hippo, food trucks, a beer garden, corn hole, face painting, balloon animals and more.

The event benefits the Arlington Pediatric Center and the Virginia Hospital Center Outpatient Obstetrics Clinic, with a focus on prenatal and postnatal health services for underprivileged mothers and babies.

Police will close several roads to accommodate the event. Per the Arlington County Police Department:

The 3rd Annual Jennifer Bush-Lawson Memorial 5K Race will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2017. The Arlington County Police Department will conduct the following road closures from approximately 8:30 AM until 11:00 AM to accommodate this event:

Main Closures:
Little Falls Road: N. George Mason Drive to Yorktown Blvd.
Yorktown Blvd.: N. George Mason Drive to Williamsburg Blvd.
Williamsburg Blvd.: Yorktown Blvd. to N. Emerson Street
33rd Street: N. Emerson Street to N. George Mason Drive
George Mason Drive: N. 33rd Street to Yorktown Blvd.
Smaller closures exist within the race area

Full story on ArlNow.com: https://www.arlnow.com/2017/11/16/jennifer-bush-lawson-foundation-5k-family-fun-day-set-for-saturday/

Pace the Nation Podcast with Neal Lawson & Jennifer Myers

Episode 127 – An Episode of Tangents (Neal Lawson and Jennifer Myers)
Jump ahead to minute 12:39 to hear Neal Lawson, founder and CEO of the Jennifer Bush Lawson Foundation, talk about his running background, the Jennifer Bush Lawson Foundation, Jennifer’s story and how the foundation honors her memory. Executive Director Jennifer Myers joins him at minute 22:37 to talk about the 5K & Family Fun Day, and some of the families that have been helped by the foundation.

More at Pacers Running: https://www.runpacers.com/podcast/episodes/episode-127-episode-of-tangents/