Healthcare Crisis Brought to Life in N...( Fresno's asthma epidemic featured...),Health

Fresno's asthma epidemic featured in premiere episode

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nytera Tilmon works at a hospital in Fresno, but she can't afford care for her seven children, all of whom live with asthma. The Central Valley's poor air quality is featured in a new television show revealing Nytera's story and others behind the healthcare crisis. This monthly, half-hour news magazine show is called "Union Time" and it's the only national labor-produced TV show.

"Union Time" airs on Free Speech TV and reaches more than 26 million homes on the Dish Network and on 170 cable stations. The show is produced by United Healthcare Workers, the largest hospital and health care union in the western U.S.

At a time when the gap between the rich and the poor is staggering, outsourcing is the norm and the number of working people without access to affordable, quality care is growing, "Union Time" offers hope.

While some want to declare unions dead, "Union Time" shows the vital role healthcare workers play in our communities. And now more than ever, working families need fair pay, good benefits and the right to freely unionize.

Our lead segment, A Healthcare Epidemic, looks at the asthma epidemic in Fresno, Calif., the air pollution capital of America. Nytera, who can't afford healthcare for her children, relies on public assistance. She's now working with UHW to change that.

View the premiere episode set to air Tuesday, Feb. 12 at http://www.uniontime.org.

The 150,000-member SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western United States and represents every type of healthcare worker, including nurses, professional, technical and service classifications. Our mission is to achieve high-quality healthcare for all.