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

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

SEATTLE, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- A coalition of local media, health organizations, universities, and faith-based institutions in Seattle 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, KCTS has partnered with CARE, Save the Children, United Nations Seattle Chapter, Washington State Department of Health, Health Alliance International, PATH, and Rotary to form this unprecedented coalition. Working with the Global Health Council, universities and faith-based organizations also participating in the global child health and survival effort include the University of Washington, The Church Council of Greater Seattle, Horizon Church, Seattle First United Methodist Church, Seattle First Baptist Church, and Plymouth Congregational Church.

Just this month, working with her Senate colleagues, Senator Patty Murray sponsored a resolution that named November Global Health month. In an effort to bring global health issues to the Seattle public, KCTS and the Seattle Rx for Child Survival coalition hosted a community screening event on October 25th at the Cinerama. The event included an advance screening of the Rx for Survival documentary and a community discussion with a panel of 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.

http://www.pbs.org/rxforsurvival/campaignhttp://www.kcts.org/http://www.globalhealth.org/http://www.pbs.org/http://www.vulcanproductions.com/

LOCAL COALITION CONTACT: Stefanie Malone (206) 443-6770 smalone@kcts.orghttp://www.kcts.org/

PRESS RELEASE GLOBAL HEALTH COUNCIL CONTACT: Mariah Richardson-Osgood 202.833.5900 x3213 mrichardson-osgood@globalhealth.orghttp://www.globalhealth.org/

Source: Global Health Council

CONTACT: Local Coalition: Stefanie Malone, +1-206-443-6770, smalone@kcts.org; or Mariah Richardson-Osgood of Global Health Council, +1-202-833-5900, ext. 3213, mrichardson-osgood@globalhealth.org

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

------- Profile: Ent