Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution

Before Medicare was established in 1965, disparities in access to hospital care were dramatic. Less than half the nation's hospitals served black and white patients equally, and in the South, one third of hospitals would not admit African-Americans even for emergencies. Medicare was used to mount a dramatic, coordinated effort that desegregated thousands of hospitals across the country in a matter of months.

In this special Health Forum, Dr. Barbara Berney will present and discuss Power to Heal , the documentary she created and produced about this little known chapter in American history. The documentary raises questions that resonate today: Is healthcare a human right? Must the federal government intervene to ensure equality? A Fielding alumna, Dr. Berney is a tenured Associate Professor at City University of New York School of Public Health (CUNY SPH) and a distinguished scholar in public health, environmental justice, and the U.S. health care system. She teaches documentary production for public health practitioners at CUNY SPH.

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Presenter:

Barbara Berney, PhD, MPH Producer and Project Creator Associate Professor, City University of New York