Award-winning Documentary 'The Providers' To Be Screened at UNM
Film features three UNM Heath Sciences Center alumni
A free screening of the award-winning documentary "The Providers" will be shown on Thursday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m. at The University of the New Mexico Continuing Education Auditorium, 1634 University Blvd. NE. Doors open at 5 p.m.
"The Providers" follows UNM School of Medicine alumni Leslie Hayes, MD, and Matt Probst, PA-C, and College of Nursing alumnus Chris Ruge, RN, and their work at El Centro Family Health, a network of clinics serving a 22,000-square-mile area in northern New Mexico. The providers will participate in a question-and-answer session following the screening.
The film focuses on the cities of Las Vegas and Española and shows the challenges the three providers face in serving a region hard-hit by the opioid crisis that has difficulty recruiting medical professionals.
"We are super excited about the work our alumni are doing all over the country," said Amanda Bassett, chief advancement and external relations officer for the UNM School of Medicine. "But we were really thrilled that this documentary was featuring three alumni who are all doing amazing work in northern New Mexico. They're basically the essence of our mission."
The film was directed by Laura Green, a San Francisco-based director and producer, and Anna Moot-Levin, a New York City-based director and producer. "The Providers" is the first feature-length documentary for both.
"Through these three storylines of these providers, we are getting a sense of the patients that they are serving, what they struggle with and how the issues of access come up, as well as the opioid crisis and how to address that," said Natalie Teter, producer and impact strategist for the film. "Those are the main issues that are brought up in the film - addressing substance abuse in rural communities, and the workforce development work that needs to happen in order the bridge the gap between the lack of providers that are often working in these communities."
The film debuted at the Full Frame Film Festival in Durham, N.C., last April and has been shown around the country, including at the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival last October. It is also scheduled to be shown as part PBS's documentary film series "Independent Lens" on April 8.
To RSVP for the screening, click the link here and register by Monday, Jan. 14. For more information on the film and the filmmakers, and to see a trailer, visit theprovidersdoc.com.