Community Based Media Project News

GHEF is pleased to announce that Matthew Eisen, who visited Miles City in February and earned unanimous support at our Executive Board meeting, is the new CBMP Project Manager.

For over 25 years I have created media projects and outreach campaigns to address difficult social issues. My most successful projects featured individuals dedicated to solving challenging and serious problems. I am passionate about focusing on solutions. Suicide is a devastating event, and a very complex issue. I know there are no easy answers, and of all the projects I've completed over the years, this might be the most challenging. (Issues I've addressed in the past include AIDS, substance abuse, broken health care systems, and child abuse.)

I look forward to meeting and working with you, and to helping develop a campaign that will have a positive impact in Miles City. I see my role as a facilitator. Together we can create something that in the end will be owned by, and sustained by, you and your community.

— Matthew Eisen, Executive Producer, Crosskeys Media

Matthew will return to Miles City during the week of March 19th to meet with community leaders, and to participate in the CBMP meeting on the night of March 21st.

New Methodology - Analysing Health Equity Gaps

A Consensus Building Forum in London, England

Health equity is a critical issue. Equity gaps are a global concern. Recent research focusing on social determinants of health confirms that equity is seriously compromised by discrimination against minority groups, and by a lack of equity in health care funding. This forum provides an opportunity to discuss how health inequities arise, to present new methods for analysing equity gaps, and to devise strategies for addressing equity gaps. Our goal is to share knowledge that leads to practical solutions.
                    - Chris Heginbotham OBE, Emeritus Professor, University of Central Lancashire

Location: Kings Fund • London, England
Date: June 12, 2012
Time: 09.00 - 17.00
RSVP: rsvp@ghef.org space limited to 30 guests; first come, first served
Cost: Free, lunch and refreshments will be served

Host: Global Health Equity Foundation

Download invitation, or click here to view in your web browser.

Programme Highlights

• World Health Organization: Universal Healthcare Access
• Eduardo Missoni, Milan: Health Equity, a Global Perspective
• Chris Heginbotham, United Kingdom: Equity Gaps, Definitions and Review
• Dora Konstadinova, Bulgaria: Equity Gap Analysis in Practice
• Helen Bingley, Abaseen Foundation, UK: Northwest Pakistan's Perspective
• Paul Cook, USA: Frontier Medicine in Montana, a United States Perspective
• EuroHealthNet: Health Inequalities, Bridging the Gap
• Consensus Building Forum
• Proposals for implementation of new methodology in Equity Gap Analysis, presented by Chris Heginbotham
• Forum group discussions: innovative equity and distribution measures, guided by Dr. Tayeb Al-Hafez, President & Founder of Global Health Equity Foundation
  

Global Health Equity Foundation (GHEF) advocates on behalf of people who lack access to health education, to prevention services and to healthcare. GHEF is a philanthropic organization that conducts research, and integrates that research into advocacy and capacity building projects. The Foundation seeks to become a primary source for knowledge on health equity, and a contributor to human and community development worldwide. Health equity is an essential, core discipline for public health education and for healthcare application in global governance. The Foundation is incorporated in Geneva, where we work in cooperation with other international organizations.

Out of the Darkness Walk Video

Here are the highlights from the Walk for Suicide Prevention, September 11, 2011. It was a heartwarming and successful event.

Belonging

Each of us longs to belong. We need a community, a place that welcomes us and is supportive of our aspirations.

Take my case for example: it has been both challenging and incredibly enriching to work as an immigrant physician in the United States. I was born in Syria, and for more than two decades I have lived and worked in North America. I encountered unwelcoming situations, tempered by warm welcomes from people that graced me with their support.

My "diaspora status" will probably be with me for the rest of my life. Being perceived as an outsider provides me with ample opportunities for self-examination, reflection and continued refinement. I hunger to learn more about myself, about our ever-changing environment, and about the people with whom I interact. I have achieved a state of mind that is best described as "universal belonging." I truly feel at home everywhere despite any hardship I may encounter, and this compels me to share my best. Miles City has become my home away from home, and I treasure the friends I have here.

It is my privilege to provide healthcare for patients with physical and mental ailments, and I take this responsibility very seriously. I am committed to applying my skills to improve healthcare in eastern Montana.

Coverage in Billings Gazette, 9/20/2011

September 8, 2011 Press Release

Contact:

Global Health Equity Foundation

406.234.5082

connect@ghef.org

Global Health Equity Foundation (GHEF) is a non-profit organization seeking to address challenges faced by healthcare providers. The Foundation serves as a catalyst for community awareness, communication, and involvement. In September of 2011, GHEF sponsored a documentary film dramatizing the issues surrounding suicide. In addition to the film, GHEF sponsored other community-awareness events as part of a Community Media Based Project with a focus on suicide.

Activities included:

• Kickoff for all events, Saturday, September 10, 5:30 pm, VA auditorium, $5 suggested donation for light meal. Featured speakers, Ken Holmlund (community member whose lost his son to suicide), Lise Swenson (filmmaker)
• Out of the Darkness Walk, September 11, Riverside Park, check in at 1:00 pm, walk from 2:00-4:00 pm
• GHEF-sponsored film documentation, all events
• GHEF-sponsored community forums
• GHEF-sponsored print publications

Press Release

Community-Based Media Project:

GHEF is partnering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (sponsors of the Walk) for a weekend-long focus on suicide prevention in Miles City, Montana. As part of the Community-Based Media Project, GHEF is preparing print publications, social-media technology, and on-going support through various media. Long-term support of this project is a primary goal for GHEF.