Contemporary Health Issues
1. Go to the Health News Review web site: http://www.healthnewsreview.org/ and see what sort of place this is. What is the purpose of this group? (Check out the site here for medical news: "News sites/blogs we like.) Assignment: Go to "story reviews". Choose any story and write a detailed summary/review of what you find. Explain the news story and Health News Review analysis of the story.
2. Personal stories or experiences with the healthcare system can be frustrating and upsetting. Some people also have very positive and loving experiences with the US system and the providers in this system. If you wish, write your personal experience. But remember, this is a university class, so you must also relate how your personal experience relates to the bigger picture, that is the US healthcare system. For example: a student in a car accident may tell the trauma of the event, but then also explain how the EMS system works or how insurance helped/did-not-help.
Current Event: write another current event article using the format described for current event articles on the syllabus.
Movie review: There are many movies available at Hamersly Library related to the US healthcare system( "Failure of National Health Insurance"(with Mike Wallace), "America's Healthcare Dilemma, Who Pays?", "Unnatural Causes-In sickness and in wealth", "High Price of Health", "And the Band Played On" (HIV/AIDS), "Typhoid Mary", "Dying to be Thin"). There are many more, you can choose. Also Frontline PBS has many health related titles ("Obama's Deal"," Facing Death", "The Medicated Child", Poisoned Waters", "The New Asylums", "Post Mortem", " The Meth Epidemic", " The real CSI", "Dollars and Dentists", "The Last Abortion Clinic", "The Suicide Plan", "Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero", "Poor Kids", "The Interupters") all are available to watch online.
Watch any of these and write up a review by answering the following questions: What is the health issue that is being described or addressed? What are the proposed solutions (if any) or approaches to the problem? Are differing views described in the movie? If so, what are they? Describe how this issue is relevant to public health.