Does wealth mean health? Do safer neighborhoods lead to more people recreating outside and thus more exercise? Or is it a deeper issue than that? Salem Progressive Film Series’ October 13 screening of Unnatural Causes will tackle that topic.
Louisville, Kentucky and its wide financial diversity form the center of the film. The city’s public health director plays a key role where he discusses the various makeups of the residents of the city and its health initiatives. The movie interviews a CEO, a general office worker, a janitor and a disabled woman for their perceptions on the impact their financial well-being has on their health.
Some assume that people who can afford health insurance or medical procedures will lead longer, healthier lives. The study that’s followed in Unnatural Causes sets out to prove that there are many different levels of health. One doctor says if you compare two smokers, one rich and one poor, to each other, that the poorer smoker is more likely to face health consequences.
The film comes at an interesting time with Warren Buffett taking the center stage of national debate about the increased disparity between the rich and the poor. The series will host three speakers.
Dr. Michael Grady is the medical director for the McClaine Street Clinic and Community Outreach Center in Silverton. He also serves on the Community Leadership Council of We Can Do Better, a forum for discussion of health policy.
Scott Richards is the behavioral health division director at the Marion County Health Department. The department serves over 4000 area residents each year.
The executive director of Mano a Mano Family Center, Levi Herrera-Lopez, will also speak. Mano a Mano is a Latino community organization in Salem. It was incorporated in 1988 and their mission is “to educate our Latino and low-income clients to become self-sufficient and active contributors to the well-being of their community.”
Salem Progressive Film Series is held on the second Thursday of every month at the Grand Theater, 191 High St. NE. Tickets are $4 for adults and $3 for students. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Film begins at 7 p.m. and speakers will follow.
