Location
Austin, Texas, 78751
About this event
October 17, 2024
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Vuka North Loop
5540 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78751
TO PURCHASE A TICKET, CLICK ON THE GREEN TICKET BUTTON IN THE RIGHT-HAND CORNER
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To celebrate our third anniversary, Public Health Watch is hosting a fundraising event with food, drinks, and a lively discussion on the state of public health in Texas. Plus, all guests will get an exclusive sneak peek at our upcoming podcast, Fumed, launching later this year.
In 2021, Public Health Watch launched in Austin as an investigative news outlet with ambitious goals — to expose weaknesses and injustices in the nation’s health infrastructure and highlight solutions. We’ve punched way above our weight, getting policies changed and winning national awards. But we know there’s much more to do, especially here in Texas.
As we begin our fourth year, PHW is hosting an urgent discussion of how public health in Texas is suffering — and how investigative journalism can help address the state’s many problems.
Our event will feature a conversation moderated by beloved former NPR correspondent John Burnett. Our panelists are:
- Dr. Doug Curran, a physician in rural East Texas who opened a free medical clinic for low-income and uninsured residents — and whose profile by PHW led to expedited federal funding for the clinic.
- Yvette Arellano, the founder and director of Fenceline Watch, a group dedicated to fighting relentless air pollution and weak regulation in the Houston area. PHW has been covering this subject for years, most recently in Channelview, where the state has allowed high levels of a carcinogen to threaten people’s health for nearly two decades.
- David Leffler, a Public Health Watch reporter who has produced some of PHW’s most memorable enterprise reporting and covered everything from deadly chemical leaks to Texas’ refusal to expand Medicaid to help the uninsured.
We hope you can join us as we explore how Texas ended up at the “bottom of the barrel” when it comes to public health — and the solutions that can help us pull ourselves out.
Program:
5:00 VIP Cocktail Hour
5:30 Welcome
6:00 Discussion
6:30 Reception