Joana

Friday, May 18, 2012, 7:00 to 9:30 PM
Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies Is pleased to present:
The film: “THE HEALTHCARE MOVIE” And a Community Discussion with guests:
• AARON KATZ, Principal Lecturer of Health Services and Global Health, UW
• DR. REENA KOSHY, National Physicians Alliance
• DR. SARAH WEINBERG, Physicians for a National Health Program & Healthcare For All – Washington, and
• LAURIE SIMONS AND TERRY STERRENBERG, The Filmmakers,
LOCATION: Keystone Congregational Church, 5019 Keystone Place North, Seattle, 98103 (in Wallingford)
This documentary provides the real story of how the health care systems in Canada and the United States evolved to be so completely different, when at one point they were essentially the same. Most people under the age of 50, in both countries, are not aware of the intensity of the political struggle that led to the universal medical care system in Canada. Nor are they aware of the public relations campaigns, still active today, that have been prevalent in the United States since the early 1900’s to dissuade the public from supporting national health care.
Produced by Canadian/American couple Laurie Simons and Terry Sterrenberg, THE HEALTHCARE MOVIE reveals the personal and emotional impact on Canadians who now have access to universal health care because of the heroism of people who took a stand nearly 50 years ago. It also reveals the continuing struggle in the United States between the fear of government intervention and the right to quality health care for all people.
Every day people are dying or going bankrupt due to the ills of the United States system. Who are we in the face of this human tragedy? If you agree that people are more important than profits, then you must watch this film.
Facilitated community discussion follows the film.
For more information: http://www.meaningfulmovies.org
Event is Free and Open To the Public

http://www.transparency.org/global_priorities/other_thematic_issues/towards_greater_protection_of_whistleblowers/the_need_for_whistleblower_protection

The links to PDFs of both the poster and the SI are in the blog post on the Selling Sickness conference.

Best,

Joana

Let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Joana

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on this topic. You obviously have a different viewpoint on cause marketing in general. My views are derived from information learned from both personal experience over 14 years now as a cancer survivor, as well as several decades of professional experience as an advocate.

While a strong dynamic of group solidarity can come from the accomplishment of participation in a mass event, sometimes the public is mislead about causes and what real effect participation will have. Sports events themselves don’t affect environmental causes of cancer nor fix the inequitable health care system we still must put up with in this country. I know from my work as an oncology social worker, that funds raised by the mega-organizations do not primarily go to fund urgently-needed direct patient care, although some promotional materials may imply that they do. Komen primarily funds scientific research and gives some limited grants to community-based organizations, which in turn offers very limited aid to patients. That’s good, but groups like these, which get much of their funding from industry, do not work on issues like doing something about the the price of cancer drugs. Participation in these kind of events is a choice, and can be personally satisfying and fitness-enhacing, but we need to see them for what they really are.

I myself participate in fundraisers of all sorts on behalf of causes that I care about. I have personal experience too in participating in a major athletic event that was billed as a charity venue, and turned out to be something else . I’m referring to the 2007 Seattle Marathon, which was promoted as a benefit for the patient and family housing fund of the University of Washington Medical Center. This was a really big deal for me to train for and complete the Walking Half-Marathon, due to my own situation of having had lymphoma in all the joints in my body, and resulting long-term effects. After the accomplishment of completing the walk, it was a real shock to read the newspaper the next day and learn that almost all the profits from the marathon went to the organizing company, not to the charity

It is really offensive to me and many advocates to witness how Komen , with its corporatized governance structure and ample funds, tries to monopolize themes and exert control over genuine community-based efforts. Especially so as Komen itself “borrowed” the ribbon idea itself from a grassroots activist, volunteering her own time to address the need for prevention and cure of breast cancer on a national level.

You might like to read the following for some basic background:

History of the Pink Ribbon

Think Before You Pink

The Hidden Costs of Cause Marketing By Angela M. Eikenberry (2009)
Stanford Social Innovation Review, Stanford Graduate School of Business

The Assertive Cancer Patient: Pink Ribbons

Joana