Growing Up Healthy

Spokane, WA, 2002

Statistics indicate that there are significant shortcomings in children's health throughout Eastern Washington. This suggests a need for increased awareness and action by local communities in the realm of children's health care. With the involvement of parents, children, health care professionals and community leaders, KPBX-FM/KSFC Spokane Public Radio, the Spokane Regional Health District and the Pacific Northwest Inlander identified areas of greatest concern in children's health and initiated a year-long campaign about these topics. Growing Up Healthy provided an overview of the available community resources and health care options addressing these issues, and publicly explored direct citizen involvement and public policy that exists and can exist in health and health care opportunities.

Spokane Public Radio produced weekly feature-length news reports exploring the issues under discussion, along with commentaries, portraits and profiles of children, parents and health care professionals. The station produced monthly live call-in programs and distributing recordings of all material produced to health centers throughout the region as well as providing program transcripts and audio on the project web page.

The Pacific Northwest Inlander—a free regional weekly newspaper—provided similar bimonthly coverage of the topic, and increased its circulation to include more local clinics, community centers and transit points. By publishing a final report of children's health and health care problems that can be better addressed within the community, and presenting that report to civic leaders, the paper is also helping to generate a point of commonality within the community about these issues.

In conjunction with this coverage, the Spokane Regional Health District—Spokane County's primary public health agency—hosted a roundtable discussion at the end of the project with community leaders addressing the issues explored. The district also served as the primary information and professional resource provider throughout the project.

Contact Information

KPBX-FM/KSFC Spokane Public Radio
Doug Nadvornick, News and Public Affairs Director
Tel:509-328-5729

Spokane Regional Health District
Melanie Rose, Public Information Manager
Tel:509-324-1688

Pacific Northwest Inlander
Pia K. Hansen, Associate Editor
Tel:509-325-0634

Awards:

KPBX/KSFC Round Three

Special Merit Award for Growing Up Healthy: Vaccination Debate,
producers Doug Nadvornick and Marty Demarest
—National Federation of Community Broadcasters

$5,000 to continue health care programming
—Wasmer Foundation