Health care reporting: AHCJ announces yearlong fellowship, and IRE resources to help coverage

Working on a project about health care systems? About to start one? Here are some resources to help:

The Association of Health Care Journalists is offering Reporting Fellowships on Health Care Performance, a yearlong program that funds reporting on health care systems in the United States. The program is designed for mid-career journalists, who continue their regular jobs and pursue the project with the support of their newsroom, which would publish the final product.

The fellowship offers up to $4,000 for field visits, data and research. Fellows also get guidance through AHCJ seminars, conferences and email consultations, as well as an additional $2,500 for the successful completion of a project. The deadline to apply is Nov. 9.

If you are beginning or continuing coverage of health care systems, the IRE Resource Center and NICAR Database Library have tips and tools to aid your reporting. 

Tipsheets:

• Health Care Survival Guide: Investigating America's Hospitals
• Health Care on the Beat: Investigating Doctors and Drugs
• Investigating Hospital Safety
• Finding and using health care data

• Deadly Neglect
• Bad Medicine
• Methadone and the Politics of Pain
• Rising Violence in California Psychiatric Hospitals

Relevant Databases:

• FDA Adverse Events Reporting System
• Medical Device Reports (MAUDE)
• National Practitioner Data Bank