Films

Air pollution is a big problem. It was getting better, but over the past few years we have seen pollution levels increasing again. According to the American Lung Association, 150 million people – nearly half of America’s population – are breathing dirty air. This causes chronic heart, lung, and even brain disease. 

In 2020, the COVID-19 crisis brutally showed us how vulnerable we are to existential threats. There is another pandemic currently sweeping the planet: health impacts from air pollution and the climate crisis. 

Planet Prescription: Healing Healers, Healing the Planet, Healing Us. listens to stories from health professionals as they witness how air pollution and climate change are impacting human health, especially children’s health and the communities impacted most by racial injustice. 

This collaborative film was made in partnership with the Climate Listening Project, Mothers & Others For Clean Air, and Narrative Healthcare at Lenoir Rhyne University. 

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Watch excerpts from the film

Dr. Anne: Impacts of Air Pollution on Health
Dr. Anne: Impacts of Air Pollution on Health
Watch as Dr. Anne Mellinger-Birdsong, Medical Education Advisor for Mothers & Others for Clean Air, talks about the critical threats air pollution and climate change pose and their impacts on human health.
Dr. Brooks: On Air Pollution, Vulnerable Children & Small Changes
Dr. Brooks: On Air Pollution, Vulnerable Children & Small Changes
Dr. Brooks, Pediatric Pulmonologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, discusses her patient population and the health disparities surrounding air pollution among children living in urban areas, especially, children of low-wealth families and communities of color. She also speaks to the power of everyone making small, but meaningful, changes that can have big impacts on the health of children.
Dr. Charon: Crisis in Healthcare System
Dr. Charon: Crisis in Healthcare System
Listen as Dr. Charon, physician, literary scholar, founder and Executive Director of the program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University, talks about the brewing crisis in healthcare before the coronavirus outbreak. She talks of hope for the healthcare system through listening to our doctors and paying attention to health impacts of environmental factors.
Dr. Hartley: Patient Stories & Climate Change
Dr. Hartley: Patient Stories & Climate Change
Dr. Charles B Hartley, II is a Pulmonologist with Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia. He discusses the health impacts that climate change has upon his patients and the power in sharing these stories to impact positive change.
Nurse Johnnie: Health Navigator and Family Advocate
Nurse Johnnie: Health Navigator and Family Advocate
Nurse Johnnie is a Registered Nurse with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She is the Community Based Health Navigator supporting families at Sheltering Arms/Educare Atlanta. Nurse Johnnie speaks to the importance of actively listening to families, as well as ensuring educational awareness around air pollution and the impacts it has on respiratory health.
Dr. Caicedo: Allergies in the Southeast and Climate Change
Dr. Caicedo: Allergies in the Southeast and Climate Change
Dr. Caicedo is a Pediatric Allergist and Immunologist. She speaks to the importance of listening to patient’s stories to identify health impacts that are caused by climate change. Dr. Caicedo is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a Fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. She was the previous President of NC Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Society, as well as the previous President of Charlotte Pediatric Society.


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