Grand Rapids Joins Local Coalitions Across America on Campaign to Improve Child Health and Survival Worldwide

Grand Rapids Joins Local Coalitions Across America on Campaign to Improve Child Health and Survival Worldwide

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- A coalition of local media, health organizations, universities, and faith-based institutions in Grand Rapids have joined with 30 other communities across the country in an effort to increase awareness of the 11 million children who die each year worldwide (www.pbs.org/rxforsurvival/campaign).

As part of WGBH/Boston and Vulcan Productions' Rx for Child Survival(TM), a nationwide mobilization campaign created by WGBH/PBS Boston and Vulcan Productions, WGVU has partnered with the Grand Rapids Mayor's Office, Public Schools, and Rotary, the Michigan Dept. of Community Health, and the Grand Valley State University Offices of Multicultural Affairs and College of Health Professionals to form this unprecedented coalition. Working with the Global Health Council, universities and faith-based organizations also participating in the effort include the University of Michigan, Aberdeen Reformed Church, Fellowship Chapel, Common Ground Community Church, Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, and Bread of the World.

The coalitions are working in their communities to increase awareness about global health, encourage donations to child health programs, and advocate for increased government funding for global child health and survival. Among other events, WGVU organized a booth at a local zoo for Kids Day in August to teach kids about dehydration and other global child health issues. WGVU is also broadcasting daily radio reports on health issues, promoting the PBS series, and will broadcast a taped panel as follow-up for last program on November 3, featuring local global health experts.

"We are building a grassroots movement to educate the public about the preventable deaths of millions of children across the world," states Deryck Spooner, national campaigns manager at the Global Health Council. The Council is also calling on the U.S. government to nearly double funding for global child health in the coming fiscal year.

The Rx for Child Survival campaign was created by WGBH and Vulcan Productions to coincide with their far-reaching multimedia project Rx for Survival-A Global Health Challenge(TM) anchored by a six-part television series airing November 1-3, 2005 on PBS stations across the country. Major funding for the project was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Merck Company Foundation.

LOCAL COALITION CONTACT: Stephen Chappell 616.331.6605 chapels@gvsu.edu

GLOBAL HEALTH COUNCIL CONTACT: Mariah Richardson-Osgood 202.833.5900 x3213 mrichardson-osgood@globalhealth.org

Source: Global Health Council

CONTACT: Local Coalition, Stephen Chappell, +1-616-331-6605, or chapels@gvsu.edu; Mariah Richardson-Osgood of Global Health Council, +1-202-833-5900 x3213, or mrichardson-osgood@globalhealth.org

Web site: http://www.globalhealth.org/ http://www.pbs.org/rxforsurvival/campaign http://www.vulcanproductions.com/ http://www.pbs.org/

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