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Dr. Avenel Joseph

@draveneljoseph.bsky.social

200 followers 180 following 94 posts

Bringing data and heart to #HealthEquity. Vice President of Policy @rwjf.org‬, Mom, traveler, foodie. (she/her)

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Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Jan 15

Hi Bluesky 👋🏾

I will be more active on this account, so let me introduce myself: I’m the Interim Executive Vice President at @rwjf.bsky.social, passionate about the intersection of health, race, and policy. I’ll post mainly about healthcare coverage, reproductive justice and equity. Let’s connect!

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Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph

jenniferngandu.bsky.social @jenniferngandu.bsky.social · 27d

Cash is a meaningful step toward ensuring families aren’t left behind. Putting dignity back into day-to-day living helps to shift us closer to a world where community and care come first. This approach is simple yet of great value.

economicsecurity.bsky.social @economicsecurityproject.org · Sep 2

Cash isn’t a cure-all. It won’t end homelessness or fix our broken healthcare system. But as @annielowrey.bsky.social reminds us, it can help families afford the basics like groceries and lower the poverty rate. That isn’t a disappointment—that’s the point.

🔗 www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

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Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · 12d

Did you know that 40% of the childcare workforce in DC are immigrants? Many are afraid to go to work for fear of being targeted by ICE, regardless of their immigration status.

Childcare workers do so much for families. This is no way to repay them.

19thnews.org/2025/09/chil...

‘They are hunting us:’ Child care workers in D.C. go underground amid ICE crackdown

In Washington, D.C., where close to 40 percent of child care workers are immigrants, fear has taken hold amid a crime crackdown that has raised ICE presence. Many are missing work, deepening a staffin...

19thnews.org

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Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · 19d

The Census Bureau released the 2024 data on health coverage, poverty and income. This release will be a snap shot, the “before” picture to compare to after the coming cuts and changes take effect.

Check out the data for yourself: www.census.gov/newsroom/pre...

Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2024

The U.S. Census Bureau today announced that real median household income was $83,730 in 2024.

www.census.gov

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Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · 20d

State leaders are battening down the hatches to prepare for the storm that is about to hit our health system, namely major cuts to Medicaid. This is a helpful resource to understand where this storm will hit the hardest. Spread the word! 🔁

Edwin Park @edwincpark.bsky.social · Sep 4

New @georgetownccf.bsky.social report using #Medicaid performance indicators to assess states' readiness to implement harmful work reporting requirements and other #Medicaid cuts included in the budget reconciliation law: ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/09/04/a...

Are States Ready to Implement HR 1 and Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements?

Key Findings State systems are unprepared for federal demands to implement a Medicaid work reporting requirement and other onerous changes. HR 1 (P.L. 119-21) requires states to implement complex w…

ccf.georgetown.edu

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Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · 27d

The reconciliation bill cuts will strip millions of their Medicaid coverage and drain $58B to $137B from rural hospitals over the next decade. A temporary $10B a year for 5 years is nowhere near enough to prevent devastating losses for patients and communities.

apnews.com/article/rura...

FACT FOCUS: Rural hospitals are expected to lose money from Trump's bill, despite RFK Jr.'s promise

There's more to that nearly 900-page bill than Kennedy let on at the White House.

apnews.com

Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph

Mona Shah @mona-shah.bsky.social · 28d

Thanks @jenniferngandu.bsky.social!

What gives me hope is @commhsp.bsky.social's tips for communicating effectively about health disparities. It start with looking at what communities bring to the table. commhsp.org/tips-for-com...

What brings you hope @joanalker1.bsky.social?

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Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph

jenniferngandu.bsky.social @jenniferngandu.bsky.social · 28d

Thanks for passing me this positivity chain, @1mabl.bsky.social!

What gives me hope are programs like Rx Kids that have delivered over $13M in cash support to more than 3K families. Parents say it helps them make ends meet! rxkids.org/rx-kids-part...

Passing to @mona-shah.bsky.social!

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Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · 28d

Joshunda, thank you so much for your words and voice in this intense time. Your perspective is so needed right now.

Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Sep 8

The new gear looks great! Sending the wish for strength through this time right back at you all.

Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Sep 4

Feel free to message me and I can send you a PDF link if you want to print this out.

Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Sep 4

The so-called Big Beautiful Bill passed this summer, but the damage will be felt for years. @rwjf.org created a chart to help explain what to expect.

Share this in your feed, pin it up in your community, email it to your local government. People must know how they’ll be affected by these policies.

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Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph

The National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ) @nclej.bsky.social · Aug 25

We are deeply excited to welcome Jason D. Williamson as NCLEJ’s next Executive Director! As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, our work is more important than ever. Visit nclej.org to learn more about our efforts to advance racial, economic, and disability justice.

A blue graphic featuring a photo of Jason D. Williamson. The text reads “Welcome! Jason D. Williamson joins NCLEJ as Executive Director. Jason joined NCLEJ in August 2025 as Executive Director. Prior to NCLEJ, he served as Executive Director at NYU School of Law’s Center on Race, Inequality and Law, spent more than 10 years as a staff attorney and deputy director with the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project, and served at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Jason began his legal career in New Orleans in the months following Hurricane Katrina, first as a staff attorney for the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, and later as a founding member of the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights (f.k.a. Juvenile Regional Services).”

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Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Sep 3

Stability, higher profits, higher wages. Research shows diversity is good for business - so rolling back DEI programs was never really about best practices, was it?

Human Rights Campaign @hrc.org · Aug 26

NEW: Analysis from the HRC Foundation (HRCF) and Whistle Stop Capital shows that companies dedicated to LGBTQ+ inclusion through participation in HRCF’s benchmark Corporate Equality Index saw higher revenue, stronger profits, and steadier market performance over time.

Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Sep 3

DC is coming together in many ways, from banging pots & pans to signify resistance to Trump’s occupation of DC, to providing “safe passageways” for our kids going to school amidst national guard armed/masked enforcement. I'm inspired by the young, old and all demographics standing up for each other.

Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Sep 3

In the interest of adding some motivation and proof that we can get through this to our feeds, I’m calling on @1mabl.bsky.social ‬ to kick off a positivity chain:

Allyn, share one thing that gives you hope in this health equity fight, and then pass it on.

I'll start:

Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Aug 22

Not enough young adults see voting as important, likely due to broken trust in our democracy. Policymakers, educators, and adults have work to do to rebuild that trust. Gotta start them young!

Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Aug 20

“People need to have more kids!” If only there was a way to help people who want to have kids but can’t afford it …

Wait! Medicaid and SNAP do just that. But they were cut.

Policymakers who truly want Americans to have more kids, we know the policies that work.

www.newamerica.org/the-thread/a...

Why Raising the Birth Rate Means Rebuilding the American Dream

America’s birth rates are plunging. Can restoring the American Dream—even under Trump-era policies—help reverse the trend and rebuild the future?

www.newamerica.org

Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Aug 19

Don’t miss this year’s call for applications for the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program - applications are due November 3.

Share this with your feed and others you think should apply:
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows

The RWJF Health Policy Fellows program provides the nation’s most comprehensive learning experience at the intersection of health, science, and policy in Washington, D.C.

www.rwjf.org

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Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Aug 14

All of us are one part of a web made up of our families, friends, neighbors and more. Immigration laws designed to disappear people from their networks leave holes in these webs that are irreparable. Read this heartbreaking, important piece:

National Immigration Law Center @nilc.org · Jul 30

ICE raids don't keep us safe — access to health care does.
www.texastribune.org/2025/07/21/t...

As Trump's raids ramp up, Valley residents stay inside — even when they need medical care

In the Rio Grande Valley, fears of deportation cause some undocumented residents to neglect their health in a region rife with obesity, diabetes and other chronic health problems.

www.texastribune.org

Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph

Joan Alker @joanalker1.bsky.social · Jul 23

Our new explainer is here -- all you need to know about the Medicaid, CHIP and ACA Marketplace provisions in the new budget reconciliation law.

Edwin Park @edwincpark.bsky.social · Jul 23

Here is a new joint @georgetownccf.bsky.social and Georgetown CHIR brief from me and @sabrinacorlette.bsky.social explaining and analyzing the #Medicaid, CHIP, ACA Marketplace & other health provisions of the recently enacted budget reconciliation law: ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/07/22/m...

Medicaid, CHIP, and Affordable Care Act Marketplace Cuts and Other Health Provisions in the Budget Reconciliation Law, Explained

In partnership with On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the Congressional Republican budget reconciliation bill into law (H.R. 1 or P.L. 119-21). Earlier, on July 1, 2025, the Senate pass…

ccf.georgetown.edu

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Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Aug 8

If Venus Williams, a world-renowned athlete with an incredible career, is worried about health insurance, imagine how all the people struggling to make ends meet feel, especially after the administration gutted Medicaid.

www.newsweek.com/venus-willia...

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Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Aug 4

Adding to podcast queue and adding this to the list 📝 thank you for sharing.

Dr. Avenel Joseph @draveneljoseph.bsky.social · Aug 4

Alright, I started a list. Here’s what I have so far of all the ways the Medicaid cuts will take us further from a health system that works well for everyone.

What should I add?

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Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph

Families USA @familiesusa.bsky.social · Jul 14

When Jennifer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at just 26 years old, Medicaid became her lifeline. Medicaid coverage allows her to manage her illness and live independently.

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Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph

Health in Partnership @hiporg.bsky.social · Jul 16

How can public health systems adapt in times of rapid change? Join HIP Co-Director Lili Farhang & other leaders in the field to find out at The Intersection on Aug. 7. Register today @ meetattheintersection.org/equity-in-a-...

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