Press Release Details

NEW YORK, Sept. 24 -- As President Obama prepares to reassert command of the health-care debate, one fact remains unchanged: nearly one in five African Americans are living without health insurance in this country. On Sunday, September 27at 10:00 p.m. BET News will offer the African American perspective to the debate on health-care reform in a one-hour national forum, CRITICAL CONDITION: WHAT'S AT STAKE IN HEALTH CARE REFORM. Melody Barnes, the President's Domestic Policy Adviser & Director of the Domestic Policy Council; James E. Clyburn (D - SC); Maxine Waters (D - CA); Brian D. Smedly, Ph.D.; Dr. Majorie Innocent, Ph.D; Pamela Gentry, BET's Senior Political Analyst; Bob Parks, National Center for Public Policy Research; and Dr. Sampson Davisjoin host Jeff Johnson and guest correspondent April Woodard along with a live audience to cut through the chaos and take an incisive look at the facts and fiction surrounding our nation's heated divide. Taped at the Newseum in Washington D.C., CRITICAL CONDITION: WHAT'S AT STAKE IN HEALTH CARE REFORM will explore the question: What does health care reform mean for us?

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090924/PH81160 )

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )

It's hard to escape the sobering reality that access to adequate health-care in our country may not only depend on your ability to pay, but the color of your skin as well. Right now, Whites live an average of 5-7 years longer than African-Americans; they are more likely than Whites to be victims of homicide and HIV/AIDS; their infant mortality is double and they have exceedingly high rates of stroke and hypertension. The old saying, "When America catches a cold, Black America catches the flu" has never been more true than today. By current estimates, eight million African Americans lack health insurance. Parents have been forced to choose between their own health and the well being of their children.

Through the use of personal accounts, compelling packages, expert panelists, and open dialogue between the studio and online audience CRITICAL CONDITION: WHAT'S AT STAKE IN HEALTH CARE REFORM will lay out all the pressing issues surrounding health care reform. The BET News special also features the BET.com and Twitter interactive platforms to engage viewer feedback on the important healthcare issues addressed.

CRITICAL CONDITION: WHAT'S AT STAKE IN HEALTH CARE REFORM is a BET News exclusive executive produced by Keith Brown, BET Senior Vice President of News and Public Affairs along with Russ Torres, Director of BET News.

For More on CRITICAL CONDITION: WHAT'S AT STAKE IN HEALTH CARE REFORM please visit BET.com/news

*All times ET/PT

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 98 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of businesses extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip-Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

SOURCE BET Networks

Tricia N. Newell, +1-212-975-8230
tricia.newell@bet.net
or
Lyntina Townsend, +1-202-608-2745
lyntina.townsend@bet.net