Public Health Challenges, Partnership Profiles

KGNU, along with the People's Clinic and Spanish-language radio KGRE-AM, aimed to educate and push for change that reduces chronic health problems in low-income families, especially within the Hispanic community. La Vida! Challenges for Healthy Living was a year-long radio series of features and documentaries, real-life radio sagas and call-in programs. Key programs in the series were produced in both English and Spanish and made available for outreach and training on CDs, cassettes, videos, on-line and in print. Outreach demos and training sessions were held in area schools, town halls, support groups and churches.

There is no other medical strategy that reduces disease and improves health more than a complete series of childhood immunizations, which is why KPBS-TV/FM, the Council of Community Clinics, the First 5 Commission of San Diego County and KGTV 10News partnered to educate San Diegans on the importance of infant immunizations. First 5 for Kids! Infant Immunization includes TV and radio news and PSAs, Web content and community outreach events at clinics serving Spanish, Vietnamese and Somali speakers.

Many North Dakotans have poor access to health care. That's why North Dakota Public Radio and the Family HealthCare Center are promoting early access to care, prevention, and public (legislative) solutions. Health Access includes talk shows, news stories, features, short announcements and segments within ongoing programs. Programs feature both policy discussion and grassroots stories.

Healthy Impact! was a partnership of Rocky Mountain Public Radio and the Anti-Defamation League to address mental and physical health care discrepancies that have more than doubled within Colorado's vulnerable populations in the last decade. The project addressed myths about cultural differences, encouraged community dialogue to increase cultural understanding and reduce bias, with an emphasis on cultural misunderstandings that pose barriers to health care for underserved groups. Programming included PSAs and a teleconference. An awareness booklet was distributed on-line and through Ready To Learn workshops.

Public Health Challenges to the Common Health of Maine aired the voices of citizens and leaders to create better public health policies in Maine. WERU-FM and the Hancock County Planning Commission believe that everyone needs healthy environments, safe communities and good healthcare. The partnership created call-in programs, reports and community forums to make sure citizen voices are heard by state policymakers on a regular basis.

The Lower Columbia Health Project extended the scope of their previous project to facilitate closer cooperation between community service agencies and work to involve at-risk teens in developing strategies and messages to reach their peers. Aiding Vulnerable Populations will create a range of radio programming, including a monthly teen-hosted issues and music show, prevention PSAs and radio segments in English and Spanish. The Cowlitz Family Health Center provided outreach for rountable meetings and workshops.

KSTX-FM, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio, TX, partnered with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (SAMHD) to address the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the nation by developing a six-part series called Caring for the Children of Children: Teen Pregnancy in San Antonio.

Learn how WMPG-FM in Portland, ME and the City of Portland Public Health delivered child health-care information to several local immigrant communities in their native languages, including Spanish, Russian, Serbo-Croat, Khmer, Somali, and Vietnamese.

KCAW-FM in Sitka, AK produced 24 discussion programs on children's health with Raven Radio in partnership with three area health organizations: the South East Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), the Center for Community/Infant Learning Program, and the State of Alaska Public Health Nurse.