HDSC Weekly Digest 4/6/08

[HDSC Group Manager]

Thank you for joining the Health Disparities Student Collaborative
Weekly Listserv! Please feel free to post your own relevant
announcements in the "discussion" section of our site (http://
groups.google.com/group/HDSC), or by emailing them to
healthdispari...@gmail.com. The listserv moderators will
include these announcements in the next weekly digest sent to the full
HDSC listserv.

This week's topics:

1. Help the Disparities Action Network educate policymakers about
health disparities
2. "Unnatural Causes" Airing on PBS
3. Immigrants and Health Reform: What Do We Know So Far? (April 8)
4. Community Voices: Health Disparities Photojournalism Project
5. Disparities Solution Center film series - "La Ciudad" (May 5)

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1. Help the Disparities Action Network educate policymakers about
health disparities

The Disparities Action Network (DAN) in Boston is looking for a
students to contribute a few hours to meeting with legislators in the
House and Senate to help educate them on disparities and DAN's budget
initiative to create an Office of Health Equity at the Executive
Office of Health & Human Services that will greatly enhance the
coordination of state agencies for health disparities elimination.
Interested? Contact Camille Watson (cwa...@hcfama.org)

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2. Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?

PBS is presenting four-hour series to sound the alarm about
socioeconomic and racial inequities in health and searches for their
causes.

Thu, March 27, 10pm, WGBH 2
Fri, March 28, 2am, WGBH 2
Fri, March 28, 2am, WGBH 44
Fri, March 28, 3:30pm, WGBH 44

for more information visit www.wgbh.org

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3. Immigrants and Health Reform: What Do We Know So Far? (April 8)

A forum sponsored by the Massachusetts Public Health Association's
Health Disparities Section, Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
ABCD Boston 178 Tremont Street, 3rd Floor, Cass Room

Come learn about how health insurance reform affects immigrant
communities and find out how you can get involved!

Featured speakers:
Linda Gabruk, Brockton Neighborhood Health Center
Lori Abrams Berry, Lynn Community Health Center
A third speaker will discuss the implementation of health reform.
Moderator: Jacob Smith Yang, Massachusetts Asians & Pacific Islanders
for Health (MAP for Health)

Co-sponsored by: ABCD, MIRA Coalition, Health Care for All, and the
Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers

For more information, please contact Sonia Alam at 617-524-6696 x103;
alam....@gmail.com.

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4. Community Voices: Health Disparities Photojournalism Project

CALLING FOR STUDENTS FOR THE 2008 COMMUNITY VOICES SUMMER PROGRAM

This is our second annual Community Voices summer program, and we are
looking for motivated students who care about health in their
communities. The Community Voices program employs high school
students for 7 weeks in the summer to learn and develop a photo
documentary of health disparities in the community. Our students pair
a didactic curriculum of health, photography and writing with
placements in local community health centers. Students document their
experiences in the community and health centers, and present their
work to educate the community about disparities. The program aims to
encourage inner-city students to pursue health careers and to raise
public awareness of health disparities in Boston.

For more information on the program, and to see last year's photo
essay "Community Voices: A Photo Essay of Health Disparities in
Roxbury", please visit www.cchers.org/cvhome.html

Please see attached program description and applications. Students
applications are due to CCHERS by Friday, May 2nd. Please note, a
complete application includes a student application, parent consent
form, and counselor/teacher recommendation. We are looking for a
diverse, motivated group of students and students with experience in
health, community service, photography, creative writing, or peer
education are encouraged to apply.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. We are
looking forward to this summer and to reading your applications.

Katherine Rushfirth
Project Manager
Center for Community Health Education, Research and Service (CCHERS)
716 Columbus Avenue, Suite 398
Boston, MA 02120
Tel: 617-373-5787
Fax: 617-373-8797

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5. Film Series - La Ciudad

May 5th, 2008 5:30-7:30PM

Thier Conference Room, Massachusetts General Hospital

The Disparities Solutions Center and the MGH Multicultural Affairs
Office is co-hosting a film series in 2008 to raise awareness of the
issues of disparities and cross-cultural care through the screening of
popular and documentary films, followed by panel discussions and
question-and-answer periods. We would like to invite you to join us
for our second event in this series, which will take place on the 5th
of May from 5-7 PM in the Thier Conference Room at Massachusetts
General Hospital. We will show two selections, "Bricks" and
"Puppeteers" from La Ciudad, which tells stories of loss, love,
frustration, and hope as recent immigrants arrive in a large city and
struggle to build their lives, their communities and their dreams -
including grappling with the American health care system and
culture.

This event is not yet open for registration, but please look for RSVP
information soon at http://www.massgeneral.org/disparitiessolutions/events.html