In the current debate on healthcare reform there are a lot of statistics and studies; a lot of back and forth about constitutionality and cost, but what is often missing are the stories of everyday Americans and their personal struggles with finding the healthcare they need. Back in September of 2011 The Recollective began working with Jericho Road Family Practice to start telling some of those stories and we dubbed this endeavor Health & Justice Project. We interviewed people from all over Buffalo, NY where Jericho Road Family Practice is based, and got some great stories that we posted on our site this past April. Once we finalized the stories from Buffalo we realized that we needed to do more if we wanted to inspire change in our nation’s healthcare system. One way we’ve done that is to record more stories from other parts of the country.
Health & Justice Project participant Tonya Tuttle
In the beginning of June producer Jeremy Helton went to Nashville, TN to interview attendees of the Christian Community Health Fellowship conference and staff and consumers from the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council. And we are already reaching out to other healthcare centers and local advocacy organizations around the country in the hopes of documenting the stories of healthcare inequities in their communities.
Attendees at the Christian Community Health Fellowship conference
We also know that powerful stories must be paired with strategic action, so we’ve partnered with Causes.com, the world’s largest online platform for activism. The Health & Justice Project page on Causes.com will be a social media hub from which we will share stories, collect more stories, and post petitions, pledges and resources to spread the message that healthcare is not a privilege but an inalienable human right.
Health & Justice Project participant Dr. Katy White
The introduction to the Health & Justice Project interview series will be posted on June 18, 2012. New episodes and actions will be posted each week at http://www.causes.com/causes/767047-health-justice-project
You can learn more about Health & Justice Project by contacting Olivia Butz and Hans Glick at healthjustice@jrm-buffalo.org.
The Recollective Blog 
Looking forward to hearing those stories from Buffalo.
Hi Ron! It’s been a while. The stories from Buffalo can be heard at http://www.therecollective.net/blog/category/work/client/hjp/ but we hope you will still check out the Health & Justice Project cause page so you can participate some of the actions posted there. There will be a new story and a new action each week at http://www.causes.com/causes/767047-health-justice-project. Thanks!
Jeremy
Reblogged this on A Handmade Home and commented:
My cousin is involved in producing this project. regardless of where you stand on the healthcare issue, it is an enlightening and personal glimpse into the subject.
Pingback: A New Phase for Health & Justice Project | The Recollective Blog