The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) and Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba (MEDICC) present the Chicago premiere of the documentary film, ¡SALUD!.
After the 93 minute screening, a post-screening panel discussion will ask the question: "Can Cuba Solve the Cook County Healthcare Crisis?".
A timely film about conflicting values and the urgency of ensuring the universal right to health care, ¡SALUD!, examines the remarkable case of Cuba, a cash-strapped country that has established what the BBC calls "one of the world’s best health systems," and helps other developing countries do the same. Beautifully filmed in Cuba, South Africa, The Gambia, Honduras and Venezuela, ¡SALUD! reveals the human dimension of the world-wide health crisis, and the central role of international cooperation in addressing glaring inequalities. ¡SALUD! accompanies some of the 28,000 Cuban health professionals now serving in 68 countries. Through their personal stories, and those of an array of young medical students-now numbering 30,000-from the Americas, Africa and the Caribbean being trained by Cuba, ¡SALUD! invites us to explore new paths to making health a global birthright, wiping out the diseases of poverty.
For more information on the film, visit saludthefilm.net.
Dr. Peter Orris, professor and senior attending physician at John Stroger Hospital of Cook County will introduce the film. Speakers in the post-screening discussion includeMildred Williamson, social worker, program developer and social justice activist; Debra Evenson, author of Law and Society in Contemporary Cuba , and Sheilah Garland-Olaniran , organizer, National Nurses Organizing Committee.
Dr. Jocelyn Elders, former U.S. Surgeon General, exclaims: "¡SALUD! is an excellent, accurate and deeply moving portrayal of a healthcare system designed to keep people healthy rather than the ‘sickcare’ system that currently exists in the United States."
This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Latino Research at DePaul University, Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, In These Times, and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
This screening and discussion are part of The Public Square at the IHC’s Civic Cinema program, a series of films, forums, and conversations that uses the most exceptionally creative and engaging documentary films of our times as a springboard for talking about some of the most pressing and challenging social issues facing us.
Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba (MEDICC) is a non-profit organization working to enhance cooperation among the United States and Cuban and global health communities aimed at better health outcomes. Founded in 1997, MEDICC’s programs support education and development of human resources in health committed to equitable access and quality care, providing the Cuban experience to inform global debate, practice, policies and cooperation in health.
Please note: this film is not rated.
Both the screening and discussion are free.
Reservations are recommended and can be made via
e-mail or phone at 312.422.5580.