Introduction to PBS series Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? and screening of excerpts

Unnatural Causes is a four-hour series, broadcast by PBS and available on DVD, that popularizes and makes compelling the surprising findings of the past two decades on the social determinants of health disparities, interweaving the research with human stories. It is not about the ‘repair shop' end of health, that is, medical care, but why some populations get sicker more often in the first place. The opening episode paints the big picture—who gets sick and why. It is supported by six additional 30-minute stories set in different racial/ethnic communities. They provide a deeper understanding of different pathways by which the social environment affects health, while chronicling innovative initiatives for strengthening communities and moving us towards health equity. We will screen clips from the episodes Bad Sugar, which explores the impact of historical and structural forces on the health of Native Americans today and Place Matters, which explores how and why neighborhoods develop differently, some promoting health and well-being while others reduce our chances for health.