 |
 |
|||||
 |
 |
|||||
 |
||||||
 |
 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
||
|
Case
Study: Critical Condition Learn more
about this project: Critical Condition is a powerful new documentary that examines the “broken” healthcare system in the United States and the impact this system has on the uninsured. The Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting System (RMPBS) has long been dedicated to community outreach activities in support of increasing the engagement of local viewers with their programming. In 2008 and 2009, RMPBS partnered with the Center to develop an innovative program enabling viewers to create digital stories about their own healthcare experiences, in response to the documentary. Funded by the Colorado Health Foundation, the program supported three digital storytelling workshops in Denver, Pueblo, and Grand Junction, Colorado. To make the process more accessible and easier for participants to commit to, the workshops were held on weekends, with an evening introductory session the week before. This resulted in an easier recruitment process and more interest among members of the general public in the program. The resulting digital stories tackle issues such as the sudden loss of insurance, the denial of care, the journeys of U.S. citizens who have sought healthcare outside of their own country’s borders, and the meaning of providing quality care. Participants included both healthcare consumers and providers. The digital stories are accessible on the RMPBS website, together with a forum where viewers can discuss the issues raised and share text versions of their own stories. In addition, the station is broadcasting interstitial commercials, asking people to watch the digital stories and submit their stories online. RMPBS hopes that these stories will help to spark community dialog about barriers to healthcare in the United States. The process has served to empower workshop participants to join this conversation -- when the Obama administration organized healthcare feedback sessions around the country, four of the storytellers from the first workshop came to share their stories. This program serves as an innovative model for how the community media practice of digital storytelling can be used in a public television context to support traditional documentary outreach and mobilize citizens to address crucial social issues. |
|
|
|
||
