RESOURCES - Leadership Guide
Appendix C
CONNECTING WITH PUBLIC BROADCASTING
The following is an overview of the public broadcasting system for those who wish to involve their local public television and radio stations in support of Remaking American Medicine.
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
PBS is a private, nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 349 public television stations. Founded in 1969, its mission is to "use the power of noncommercial television, the Internet and other media to enrich the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services.” Available to 99 percent of American homes with televisions and to an increasing number of digital multimedia households, PBS serves nearly 100 million people each week. Over the years the PBS system has addressed an array of health care issues. More than 100 of the nation's PBS stations are also co-licensees with public radio stations. Additional information about PBS can be found on their Web site – www.pbs.org.
National Public Radio (NPR)
NPR is an internationally acclaimed producer and distributor of noncommercial news, talk and entertainment programming. A privately supported, nonprofit membership organization, NPR serves more than 760 independently operated, noncommercial public radio stations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Each station designs its own format by combining local programming with offerings from NPR and other sources. Additional information can be found on www.npr.org.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)
CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967. Public broadcasting has a fundamental commitment to develop and fund quality, culturally diverse programming for the American public. CPB provides resources to more than 1,000 locally operated public radio stations and public television stations across the country. It provides the largest source of funds for public radio and television programming. Additional information can be found on www.cpb.org.
National Center for Outreach (NCO)
NCO assists stations with community outreach efforts. NCO encourages meaningful outreach at the local level and provides resources, training and financial support to public television stations. NCO produces The Public Television Outreach Directory that provides two points of station contact -- the General Manager and the Station Outreach Director. This directory can be found by clicking on the icon on at www.nationaloutreach.org.
PBS STATION INCENTIVE GRANTS
Project Abstracts (AS OF JULY 2005)
AETN
Project Description:
Arkansas is eighth among the 50 states in mortality due to heart disease, first in stroke mortality and ninth in cancer mortality. In addition, twenty-seven percent of the state’s over-65 population is affected by Alzheimer’s disease. AETN plans to address the health care needs of patients and families suffering from these chronic diseases.
AETN is partnering with the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC), the state Quality Improvement Organization; the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement; and the Arkansas Hospital Association, as well as hospitals and health clinics throughout the state.
AETN’s statewide outreach efforts will feature Champions of Change on television, radio and the Web. In addition, they are producing a 12-panel exhibit featuring Champions of Change that will travel to health-related conferences and provider training sites. It will feature consumer resources on disease prevention and management. They are also assisting AFMC with their statewide Quality Conference.
Detroit Public Television
Project Description:
Detroit Public Television (DPTV) and MPRO, Michigan’s Quality Improvement Organization, are partnering to promote better understanding of health literacy. The Detroit coalition includes the Henry Ford Health System, Wayne State University, Detroit Medical Center, St. John’s Health, the American Medical Association and the State of Michigan’s Surgeon General’s office.
Using the AMA’s Health Literacy initiative as a basis, coalition members will provide a training conference for physicians that will focus on ways to improve patient-doctor relationships.
DPTV will feature local Champions of Change in a half-hour program that will include a phone bank of physicians taking viewer calls and directing them to tools and resources about patient- and family-centered care. In addition, the station will hold community screening events and a feature story on health literacy will appear on DPTV’s weekly public affairs program, American Black Journal.
Iowa Public Television (IPTV)
Project Description:
Iowa Public Television’s campaign will focus on access to care for seniors. Coalition partners include the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care (IFMC), the state Quality Improvement Organization; the state chapter of AARP; the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs: the Council on Aging; the Visiting Nurses Association; and the Parish Nurses Association.
The RAM coalition will conduct an extensive statewide assessment of consumer health care needs to guide them in the development of programming content and collateral materials. The outreach will target nursing homes, home health agencies and hospital groups. The station will produce an Iowa health care consumer toolkit.
IPTV plans to produce four segments for Living in Iowa, a weekly statewide public affairs program, to encourage patients to become better advocates for their health care. The coalition has begun to identify local best practices by physicians and nurses in home health and nursing homes.
KETC
Project Description:
KETC is partnering with Primaris Health, the Quality Improvement Organization for Missouri, to better educate the public about health care delivery. The RAM coalition, which now numbers 30 members, includes the Missouri Hospital Association, the Missouri Department of Health, the state chapter of AARP, Senior Services and the Missouri Academy of Family Physicians.
Working with Primaris, KETC will produce four, half-hour documentaries entitled Remaking Missouri Medicine, focusing on the patient- and family-centered care issues addressed in the series, and four interstitials that will encourage Missouri residents to become advocates for their own health care. These will be broadcast on all four Missouri PBS stations.
KETC will also create a DVD kit that includes programming, consumer tools and resources. Coalition members will hold RAM community screenings, public events and discussions focusing on the state’s health care needs.
Rocky Mountain PBS (KRMA)
Project Description:
Rocky Mountain PBS is working with the Anti-Defamation League and the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC), its state Quality Improvement Organization, on an outreach project called Healthy Impact! The project goal is to create awareness about how vulnerable populations can overcome barriers in their interactions with health care providers and to encourage consumers to become better advocates for their own health care.
Other coalition members include Littleton Adventist Hospital, the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care, Regis University, Anthem BlueCross BlueSheild, the Asian Pacific Development Center and the Colorado Hospital Association.
Rocky Mountain PBS will produce two specials for its weekly public affairs program, Colorado State of Mind, on the quality improvement efforts undertaken by the Healthy Impact! project and Remaking American Medicine. The station also plans to host a community Teleconference Summit.
KRWG
Project Description:
Because diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in New Mexico, KRWG intends to address the issue by increasing awareness of the symptoms, helping to motivate diabetics to take control of their own care and presenting simple life style changes.
The New Mexico coalition includes La Clinica de Familia’s Promotora Program, the Cooperative Extension Service at New Mexico State University’s College of Agriculture and Home Economics and the New Mexico Medical Review Association, the statewide Quality Improvement Organization.
KRWG will produce two live, call-in programs and bilingual promotional materials.
KSPS
Project Description:
Quality health care in rural Washington State is declining. Individuals in remote areas do not have access to health care as easily as those in urban areas. To address this issue, KSPS has joined with Inland Northwest Health Services to develop the Community Health Education Resources (CHER) coalition.
The outreach goals are to underscore the importance of better access to health care resources and medical options for patients and families throughout the Northwest region of the state. Coalition members include Qualis Health, the state Quality Improvement Organization; the Washington State Hospital Association; and the local chapter of AARP.
Washington state PBS and NPR stations will work together to host discussions and program screenings. They will produce a live call-in program featuring Champions of Change and produce print and online collateral materials in Spanish and Russian.
Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Project Description:
Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB), working with the Louisiana Health Care Review, the state Quality Improvement Organization, will produce a live town hall meeting called Louisiana Public Square. The goal will be to increase citizens’ understanding of health care delivery and how quality health care data can help patients become stronger advocates. Other coalition members include the Louisiana Nursing Home Association, the Louisiana Hospital Association, Volunteer Hospital Association, the state chapter of AARP, the HomeCare Association of Louisiana and the Louisiana State Medical Society.
The outreach effort will include a series of statewide Patient Education Seminars that will underscore the importance of quality health care. Speakers will include physicians, a representative from the Governor's office, a representative from the Senior Health Insurance Information Program and a Medicare provider.
The station will work with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab to evaluate its outreach activities. Its goal will be to measure the shifts in attitudes by key stakeholders and consumers about health care delivery.
Maryland Public Television (MPT)
Project Description:
Maryland Public Television will utilize Remaking American Medicine and its resources to focus on the issue of cardiovascular care for seniors. Coalition members include the Delmarva Foundation, the American Heart Association, the state chapter of AARP and the Maryland Department of Aging.
MPT was the host of a Summer Leadership Summit on senior wellness and is using this feedback to assess needs for the target audience. In collaboration with the series premiere, the station will host screening and discussion events with senior communities at regional health events and at public libraries. With its coalition partners, MPT will develop healthy heart checklists to be distributed at community events and screenings. The checklists will be also be featured on the station Web site and distributed via mail.
Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET)
Project Description:
Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) will focus on patient- and family-centered care and patient safety. Their goal is to inspire consumers (with a special emphasis on seniors) to be proactive in meeting their own health care needs and those of their families. The station is working with CIMRO-Nebraska, the state Quality Improvement Organization, and a coalition of 17 other organizations including the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the state chapter of AARP, the Nebraska Division of Aging, Nebraska Office of Public Health and Nebraska Association of Home and Community Health Agencies, among others.
NET will produce segments for its weekly news magazine, Statewide, and hold community screenings to engage key stakeholders throughout the state.
Planned outreach activities include participating in health care trade association conferences, selecting and promoting local Champions of Change and undertaking a statewide media outreach effort.
New Jersey Network (NJN)
Project Description:
Based on research from the New Jersey Collaborative Center for Nursing of Rutgers University, it appears that New Jersey will be suffering a major nursing shortage by 2020. New Jersey Public Television & Radio and the RAM coalition want to stimulate a statewide dialogue on this issue and the anticipated shortage of other health care providers. RAM coalition members include the state chapter of AARP, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, New Jersey Hospital Association, American Nurses Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges.
NJN plans to broadcast a panel discussion about the issue with participation by medical professionals, state agency officials, nursing education leaders and other decision-makers. They will also host RAM screenings and discussions in various hospitals across the state and produce segments for its nightly news program, Healthwatch, and for NJN News that also airs on WNET/New York.
South Carolina ETV (SCETV)
Project Description:
South Carolina’s rural community is nearly leading the nation in the percentage of the population with chronic diseases. The primary goal of the SCETV campaign will be to educate the public, and senior citizens in particular, about this important issue.
SCETV’s RAM coalition includes Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence, the Quality Improvement Organization; the state chapter of AARP; the South Carolina Hospital Association; the South Carolina Medical Association; and others. The station will conduct a town hall meeting featuring Champions of Change. Health care features will also be broadcast on Clemson University’s daily program entitled At Home, Southern Style. Community activities include presentations at fall medical conferences, workshops for senior citizens and a Remaking American Medicine event on Senior Citizen Day at the South Carolina State Fair.
South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB)
Project Description:
South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) will partner with the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care, the state Quality Improvement Organization, and other provider groups in the state to address the issue of access to health care. The goal will be to inform minorities, rural residents, the underserved and others about their rights and responsibilities. Current coalition members include the South Dakota Department of Health, the South Dakota Nurses Association and the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations.
The outreach effort will include a special primetime edition of SDPB’s weekend health program, On Call. The station will also host community screenings, discussion groups and statewide family events on issues that will be raised in Remaking American Medicine. One screening will be held on an American Indian Reservation. Collateral materials will target youth and families.
Twin Cities Public Television (TPT)
Project Description:
TPT has developed a Community Healthcare Awareness Initiative (CHAI) in partnership with Stratis Health, the state Quality Improvement Organization. The focus will be on chronic and acute care in aging populations and immigrant communities. Other coalition members include the Buyers Health Care Action Group, the Metro Area Agency on Aging, the local chapter of AARP, Hospice Minnesota and the End of Life Coalition.
TPT plans two companion programs to support Remaking American Medicine. One will focus on best practices and feature statewide Champions of Change. The second will cover a community forum, organized by Stratis Health, which will discuss issues of health care access.
The RAM coalition is also developing a project kit that contains consumer tools to distribute to viewers, health organizations, caregiver support groups and libraries.
The University of North Carolina TV (UNC-TV)
Project Description:
UNC–TV will build on its successful three-year health initiative entitled HealthWise that addresses the issues of health literacy and chronic care for seniors. Current coalition members include the Governor’s Emerging Issues Task Force, a University of North Carolina health initiative that combines the resources of the sixteen constituent campuses of the University of North Carolina; the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission; and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Services.
UNC-TV’s outreach campaign will include a health summit/training workshop with health experts addressing the issue of health literacy for seniors. Its Web site will contain a special health section. In collaboration with the RAM series, UNC-TV will produce a monthly segment on health care quality that will appear in its local series, Focus on Health.
WCVE -WHTJ
Project Description:
WCVE/WHTJ is partnering with the Virginia Health Quality Center (VHQC), the state Quality Improvement Organization; the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College; and two local NPR stations to address the health care needs of uninsured and underserved patients. Other coalition members include hospital administrators, physicians, nurses and municipal representatives.
WCVE/WHJT will develop a companion health area on its Web site and develop materials for the City of Richmond’s online community guide.
The station will produce a live call-in program to encourage patients to become stronger advocates for their health care as well as hold community screenings and discussion groups. It will also work with VHQC to produce a Health Care Passport, a pocket-sized guide to medical tests and other issues that patients should use when communicating with their physicians.
WEDU
Project Description:
WEDU is focusing on diabetes prevention and management within the Hispanic and Latino communities. Coalition members include the Florida Medical Quality Assurance, Inc. (FMQAI), the state Quality Improvement Organization; the American Diabetes Association; and the Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative that consists of many citywide health care organizations.
Activities are intended to engage local and statewide stakeholders, health care professionals, community organizations, non-professional caregivers and consumers. Outreach activities will include broadcasts of a co-production with FMQAI that will address issues of diabetes prevention and treatment. It will be made available for all PBS stations in Florida. The program will feature a panel discussion and a viewer help line with calls answered by volunteers from the American Diabetes Association. Callers will receive a bilingual booklet that addresses questions about prevention and treatment of diabetes. WEDU is also planning to produce complementary local radio programming.
WETA
Project Description:
According to the American Heart Association, African-American women face a greater threat of death from heart disease than women of other races. WETA, the public television station in the nation’s capital, is initiating a patient- and family-centered approach to cardiovascular disease among African American women.
The goal of the campaign is to heighten awareness and encourage individuals to become more informed advocates of their own health care. A key institution focusing on health care in the African-American community is the church. The role of the faith community in addressing health-related issues has been, and continues to be, a vital and natural part of everyday life. Current coalition members include the Delmarva Foundation of the District of Columbia, the local Quality Improvement Organization, and the D.C. office of the American Heart Association.
The RAM coalition will hold a series of educational forums entitled Remaking the District’s Medicine: The Intersection of Faith and Health to explore treatment and prevention options in area churches. It will also conduct public awareness efforts about the disease through libraries, hospitals, community-based clinics and other African-American special interest groups. In addition, WETA will produce several short programs featuring local Champions of Change.
WFYI
Project Description:
WFYI plans to address the issues of patient- and family-centered care for their Remaking American Medicine outreach campaign. Coalition members include Health Care Excel, the state Quality Improvement Organization; the Indiana School of Medicine; the University of Indianapolis School of Nursing; the Riley Children’s Hospital; and the Central Indiana Council on Aging.
The campaign goal is to assist patients in effectively managing their own health care. Consumer tools and resources will address these issues: medication management, how to talk to health care providers, patient safety in hospitals, resources for the underserved, chronic disease management, and how patients should communicate with family members.
WFYI will produce complementary television and radio programming featuring local Champions of Change. RAM coalition efforts will include conference presentations, Web-based discussion forums and community screenings.
WHUT
Project Description:
WHUT’s campaign will focus on health care policies and preventive care for breast cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV/AIDS and diseases affecting minority communities.
WHUT-TV will use Remaking American Medicine to initiate a major campaign underscoring two themes: “Caring for Your Health” and “Quality Care for All.” The first will explore the role of the individual in preventative care. It will emphasize access and making the best use of local acute and preventive care facilities and resources. The second will examine regional health care policies.
WHUT’s current coalition includes the Delmarva Foundation, the local Quality Improvement Organization; Howard University Hospital; the D.C. Department of Health; the American Hospital Association; the National Medical Association; and NBC 4.
WHYY
Project Description:
WHYY is expanding its commitment to public education about health care issues as a member of the Caring Community Coalition, a coalition of 100 partner organizations across the region. Other coalition members include the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, the New Jersey Hospital Association, the local chapter of AARP, the Delaware Healthcare Association, the American College of Physicians and the American Board of Internal Medicine.
WHYY will produce a community forum in their studios for leaders of educational health care institutions, providers and the general public. They will feature patient- and family-centered Champions of Change.
The coalition will initiate community discussion groups, and WHYY will produce a special radio program for its NPR series, Voices in the Family.
WTTW
Project Description:
WTTW is partnering with the Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care (IFQHC), the state Quality Improvement Organization, and the American Diabetes Association to address the cultural differences in treating diabetes within the Hispanic and African-American communities.
Working in conjunction with IFQHC, the Coalition partners have developed an assessment tool to determine the geographical areas most in need of diabetes education. The results will be used to develop useful information about diabetes management and prevention for these target communities.
WTTW will produce a local program that will feature a roundtable discussion as well as stories about diabetes management and prevention for Chicago Tonight, its local public affairs program. The station will also produce flyers and posters and develop radio and Web-based activities to support the campaign.
PBS STATIONS - Directors of Outreach
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