A documentary made by two Corrales residents examining an innovative University of New Mexico program that addresses social factors affecting community health will air on NM PBS on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.
“HEROS for Health” follows community-based organizers working to improve housing, nutrition, income, education and transportation for rural and underserved families across New Mexico. The broadcast will be followed by a panel discussion on improving health and health care in the state.
The film profiles the Health Extension Rural Offices program, known as HEROS, which was established a decade ago by Dr. Arthur Kaufman at the UNM School of Medicine. The initiative connects community health needs with university and other resources.
“We borrowed the idea from the Agricultural extension service,” said Kaufman, distinguished professor of family and community medicine and vice president for community health at UNM. “There’s an agricultural extension agent in almost every county in the country, so why not have health extension agents helping communities address the social determinants of health.”
The program addresses a critical need in New Mexico, where 32 of 33 counties are classified as health underserved, according to Dr. Ben Daitz, professor of family medicine and the film’s director.
“There aren’t enough health practitioners, and there are long waits for care,” Daitz said. “We’re in the middle of a health care crisis.”
The documentary features five stories of HEROS workers statewide, including Danielle Archuleta in Raton, who develops rehabilitation strategies for young people in legal difficulty, and Evelyn Rising in Hobbs, who created a social resource center. Other profiles include Chantel Lovato’s housing and economic development work in Santa Rosa, and Zach and Mary Ben’s baby food company and nutritional education campaign on the Navajo Reservation.
Daitz and Bob Belinoff, both Corrales residents and veteran documentary filmmakers, produced the film.
Panel participants include Kaufman; Dr. Julianna Reece, director of community engagement in UNM’s Office of Community Health; Christina Campos, former CEO of Guadalupe County Hospital and UNM regent; and Fred Nathan Jr., founder and executive director of Think New Mexico.