Renée Tsao

(202) 339-9598

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

October 28, 2009

For Immediate Release

MONEY-DRIVEN MEDICINE NATIONAL “WATCH-IN!” KICKS OFF

WITH SCREENING AT U.S. CAPITOL

California Newsreel partners with Consumers Union, Doctors for America, Campus Progressand others for a nationwide call for health care reform

Washington, DC – Members of Congress and staff, health reform advocates and others gathered at the U.S. Capitol last night to watch a special presentation of the new documentary on the medical-industrial complex, Money-Driven Medicine.

The event launched a unique nationwide “Watch-In! for America’s Health.” For the month of November, Americans across the country will screen and discuss Money-Driven Medicine at house parties, community dialogues, campus and workplace forums and elsewhere.

Following each screening viewers will contact their Congressional representatives and Senators and tell them what health care reform should include if it is to serve patients rather than profits.

California Newsreel is partnering with Consumers Union, Campaign for America’s Future, Campus Progress, Doctors for America, Alternet and other organizations in the “Watch-In!” Money-Driven Medicine, produced by Academy Award© winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, is the first film to deliver a thoughtful and comprehensive look at the underlying forces driving America’s high medical costs and poor quality of care.

California Newsreel and its outreach partners are making the award-winning documentary available for free streaming and low-cost DVD during this intensive two-week period of nationwide healthcare study and action. At the same time, Newsreel will hand-deliver DVDs of Money-Driven Medicine on behalf of Watch-In! outreach partners to all 535 members of the House and the Senate.

Last night’s kickoff screening at the U.S. Capitol was introduced by Cong. Tim Bishop (D-NY) and followed by a panel featuring producer Alex Gibney, Maggie Mahar, author of the acclaimed book Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much that inspired the film and writer of the Health Beat blog (www.healthbeatblog.com), and William Vaughn, senior policy analyst for Consumers Union.

The film engendered an enthusiastic response and commitment by the audience to use the DVD in their respective communities.  Lisa Lindell and her husband, Curtis Lindell, the burn victim featured in Money-Driven Medicine, traveled from their Houston home for the screening and received a standing ovation.

To screen Money-Driven Medicine and more details on the Watch-In! visit www.moneydrivenmedicine.org.

About Money-Driven Medicine

Money-Driven Medicine provides the essential introduction Americans need to become knowledgeable participants in healthcare reform, now and in the years ahead. Produced by Academy Award© winner, Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side; Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) and based on Maggie Mahar's acclaimed book, Money Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much, the film offers a behind-the-scenes look at how our $2.6 trillion a year healthcare system went so terribly wrong and what it will take to fix it. It is the only film to explore the economics underlying – and too often undermining – health care delivery.  It cuts through the many sound-bite and ad-driven myths, charges and counter-charges swirling around the current debate and asks how we can move from a profit-driven to a patient-centered and evidence-based medical system.

For video clips and more information on Money-Driven Medicine please visit:

www.moneydrivenmedicine.org.

About California Newsreel

California Newsreel, the distributor of Money-Driven Medicine, is the oldest non-profit, documentary production and distribution center in the United States. Founded in 1968, it has provided award-winning film and video to support social change movements over the past four decades.  More information on Newsreel’s many acclaimed titles can be found at www.newsreel.org.  (Money-Driven Medicine released in association with B-Side Entertainment)

To download a PDF of the Watch-In! Press Release click here.