Oral

For the APHA 2007 meeting, our integrative session will be titled: “The Spirit of 1848 presents: "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?" -- integrating politics, passion, and public health” The focus will be on ways to advance public discussion and action regarding the upcoming PBS broadcast (tentatively scheduled to be shown in Fall 2007) and DVD release of "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?," a four-hour documentary series being produced by California Newsreel in association with the Minority Consortia of public television (formerly known by its working title, “Hidden Epidemic”). As stated by the producers, the series: “… explores the root causes of our huge and disturbing socio-economic and racial disparities in health. It suggests there is more to our health than our meds, our behaviors and our genes. Society matters. The conditions in which we are born, live and work profoundly affect our wellbeing and longevity. Note that the series does not simply illustrate differential health care access and treatment but why some populations get sicker more often in the first place, i.e., the role of economic inequality, racism, poverty, segregation and neglect in breeding disease and despair.” Participants in the session will include: (1) Larry Adelman, the series executive producer and co-director of California Newsreel, who will discuss the broadcast and screen selections for viewing; (2) Makani Themba-Nixon, Executive Director of the Praxis Project, who will lead a discussion & dialogue with audience members, following the screening, on how the series can be used in the community, in the classroom, with activists, and with policy makers, to galvanize organizing around the social determinants of health and eliminating health inequities, and (3) Nancy Krieger, Chair of the Spirit of 1848 Caucus and an advisor to the series, who will introduce and moderate the session. All presentations will be solicited. No unsolicited abstracts will be considered for this session. This session will be held at the American Public Health Association 135th Annual Meeting in Washington DC on Monday, November 5, 2007 in the 4:30 to 6:00 pm APHA time slot.

Session Objectives: 1. Learn about the upcoming PBS broadcast "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?" 2. Describe ways to use the broadcast to do organizing in diverse communities about social determinants of health. 3. Recognize the importance of linking issues of the social history of public health, the politics of data, and progressive pedagogy to advancing work linking social justice and public health.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing