The Spring 2021 edition of the newsletter featured two panel discussions presented by HH&S—how young Black women must fight against racism and bias when facing breast cancer, and the brave new TV landscape on depictions of poverty in America. Also spotlighted were vaccine myths and the impact of HH&S vaping research.
Our May 6 panel "The Black Birth Experience: Challenges, Joys and Justice" brought experts and TV writers together over the topic of why Black women are more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth than women in any other race group.
This heightened risk of pregnancy-related death spans income and education levels (think Serena Williams or Beyonce), and the discussion explored the causes of these maternal health discrepancies, along with how TV depictions of the issue can help.
Black birthing people are three to four times as likely to die from pregnancy/birth-related causes and twice as likely to suffer a maternal morbidity than those in all other racial/ethnic groups.
Hollywood, Health & Society, in partnership with the WGAE and WGAW, presented a virtual talk focusing on older adults and the challengers of caregiving during the pandemic. The panel was part of a series of discussions via Zoom on a variety of topics affected by COVID-19.
The discussion, held April 28, 2020, featured the following speakers:
Creating a Culture of Health would ensure that all people have an equal opportunity to live the healthiest lives possible, regardless of ethnic, geographic, racial, socioeconomic, or physical circumstances.
Hollywood, Health & Society brought together five leading creative talents behind current TV series that are changing up the narrative of what poverty looks like. In much of their storytelling, marginalized communities and people who are poor struggle for a fair shake and the elusive American Dream.
Each year, more than 600,000 people in the U.S. are released from state and federal prisons. However, more than 450,000 are arrested again within five years, often due to technical violations or non-criminal behavior.
One-third of babies in the U.S. are surgically born, and childbirth is the top reason for hospitalization.