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

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

LINCOLN, Neb., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- A coalition of local media, health organizations, universities, and faith-based institutions in Lincoln 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 (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, NET has partnered with the United Nations Lincoln Chapter and the Nebraska Health & Human Services System to form this unprecedented coalition. Working with the Global Health Council, faith-based organizations also participating in the global child health and survival effort include the Apostolic Assembly Church, Belmont Baptist Church, Faith United Methodist Church, Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church and Blessed Sacrament Church.

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. In addition to airing the PBS series on November 1-3, NET is sponsoring a live call-in special entitled "Rx for Kids: A Nebraska Connects Special" airing October 27 at 7 p.m. Hosted by NET Radio's Nancy Finken, the live, hour-long program will address global children's health issues and how they affect Nebraska. A panel of local and national experts will be available to answer questions and discuss public health issues.

"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.

CONTACT: Local Coalition: Martha Florence, +1-402-472-3611, mflorencel@unl.edu, or Mariah Richardson-Osgood of Global Health Council, +1-202-833-5900 x3213, mrichardson-osgood@globalhealth.org.

Source: Global Health Council

CONTACT: Local Coalition: Martha Florence, +1-402-472-3611, mflorencel@unl.edu, or Mariah Richardson-Osgood of Global Health Council, +1-202-833-5900 x3213, mrichardson-osgood@globalhealth.org

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

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