March 12, 2008
Community town hall aims for fairness and opportunity for all
"It is unacceptable that the color of your skin or your home address are now good predictors of whether you will have a low birth weight baby, die from diabetes or your children will graduate from high school or end up in jail," says King County Executive Ron Sims. As part of the new King County Equity and Social Justice Initiative and to promote fairness and opportunity for all, dozens of local organizations are inviting the public and partner organizations to participate in a community town hall this Thursday.
King County Equity and Social Justice Town Hall
Thursday, March 13, 2008
5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Seattle Central Library
1000 Fourth Ave.
Seattle, WA 98104
Speakers and panelists
- King County Executive Ron Sims
- Julia Patterson, King County Councilmember and King County Board of Health Chair
- Dr. Ben Danielson, Medical Director, Odessa Brown Children's Clinic
- Emma Medicine White Crow, Vice Chair to the Governor's Interagency Council on Health Disparities
- Dr. Ed Taylor, Vice Provost & Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, University of Washington
- Dr. Ngozi Oleru, Environmental Health Director, Public Health - Seattle & King County
This town hall will include a screening from the ground-breaking four-hour PBS series, "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?" This series challenges the conventional approach to prevention, which has mostly been limited to encouraging healthy behaviors. But much of what can improve health lies outside an individual's control: better land use, transportation and business investment; ensuring that every neighborhood has access to supermarkets and healthy foods; creating safe streets and green space so people can walk, jog, bike and play; investing in schools; guaranteeing paid vacations, paid family leave, and living wage jobs with career ladders.
For the full report on the King County Equity and Social Justice Initiative, visit www.kingcounty.gov/equity, and for more information on the Initiative's community engagement, visit www.metrokc.gov/health/community.
Town hall co-sponsors include a wide variety of local organizations, include Advisory Council for the African American Elders Program, African Americans Reach and Teach Health Ministry, Austin Foundation, Bike Works, Casey Family Programs, Center for MultiCultural Health, Children's Regional Hospital and Medical Center, Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, Community Health Centers of King County, Community School Collaborative, Cross Cultural Health Care Program, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Entre Hermanos, Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, Feet First, Group Health Cooperative, Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Healthy and Active Rainier Valley, HIV/AIDS Planning Council, Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Seattle, International Community Health Services, Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, Region 4 – DSHS, King County, King County Children and Family Commission, King County Health Action Plan, King County Steps to Health, Minority Executive Directors Coalition, Molina Healthcare of Washington, New Futures, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, Northwest Infant Survival Alliance - SIDS Foundation of Washington, NOW IS Fitness Center, Puget Sound Neighborhood Health Centers, REACH Coalition, Transportation Choices, Washington Dental Service, Washington Dental Service Foundation, Washington Health Foundation, Washington State Hospital Association, World Population Forum, YMCA of Greater Seattle, YouthCare, and YWCA of Seattle-King-Snohomish County.