CHF Continues the Drumbeat on Health Justice at its 12th Annual Meeting

Continuing our “Speakout Report” pledge to “engage in community-wide health equality dialogues that address racial and ethnic health disparities, particularly the impact of structural racism on the health and well-being of communities of color in the region,” CHF’s 2007 Annual Meeting featured two episodes of the anticipated documentary, Unnatural Causes:  Is Inequality Making Us Sick?, scheduled for release in March 2008, and to be broadcast on PBS on Thursdays at 10 p.m. on March 27, April 3, 10, & 17.  

Unnatural Causes is a four-hour series that, for the first time, sounds the alarm about our glaring socioeconomic and racial health disparities, revealing how social policy, growing economic inequality, and racism affects our health.   

The goal of our Annual Meeting was to introduce the Unnatural Causes series as a tool to broaden our scope of understanding about the root causes of health inequities while at the same time providing our community concrete ways to engage in effective advocacy around the Social Determinants of Health.  

Read more about our meeting and learn Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Health in our recent Connections newsletter.   You can also view our 2007 Annual Meeting Program and 2007 Annual Meeting Transcripts for more information.   

For more information on the film and its Public Impact Campaign and Community Toolkit, please visit www.unnaturalcauses.org. 

 “It was an amazing film that gave faces and stories to the problem of health inequities, while citing and basing itself on the science.  The message and delivery were ground-breaking and even life-changing.  I plan to buy the DVD when it is released.  Perhaps our company could hold a series of brown bags to show the film, it could breathe new life into this purpose behind our work.” - Kerri Lowrey, MayaTech

"These types of thought provoking dialogues are critical to advancing an outcome driven healthcare delivery system in the District and critical to the conversation on social justice that our city so actively avoids.  I only wish the Mayor and the City Council were in the room.”   - Dr. Gloria WilderBrathwaite, President and CEO, CORE Health, Founder, JUSTICE SPEAKS

“...I wish more of our staff could have been there for the preview of Unnatural Causes.  In fact, I have not been able to stop thinking about the potential movement that may evolve from this campaign...I believe the documentary and public campaign provides a phenomenal opportunity for organizations in DC across the sectors to join together to address an issue that is so prevalent.”  - Susan Kincaid, Senior Program Director, Capital Food Bank