"I'm ashamed" was how one Sonoma County elected official felt after viewing the first segment in the PBS four-part series called Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?
I was part of a small but committed group of elected city officials in Sonoma County who attended an event sponsored by the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy on Saturday, March 28, 2009. We were warmly welcomed by the Project Team members who wanted to provide us with information on the connection between economic policy, social standing, and our health.
Before dimming the lights to watch "In Sickness and in Wealth", Public Health Officer Dr. Mary Maddox-Gonzalez presented us with some local statistics on the health, socio-economic standing and levels of education among Sonoma County residents. These numbers took on new meaning in the context of what we were about to learn in the next hour.
In the documentary we were exposed to compelling evidence: our economic policies have led to great divisions in the social classes. As a result, your life expectancy has more to do with where you can afford to live, shop, and attend school than your ability to access quality health care. Did you know that the United States ranks at the bottom when it comes to life expectancy among all the industrialized nations? That is the shame we need to address.
When the lights came back on, the air of gravity in the room was palpable. But then there was a sense of synergy as people began to talk about policies that could help address the level of inequality among neighborhoods in Sonoma County. It will require some re-thinking of the role of the elected city official. It also speaks to the need to work with other elected officials, including school boards. Every aspect of our lives are intertwined in ways that aren't always obvious.
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