The Americans with Disabilities Act, organ and tissue transplantation, end-of- life decision-making, physician-patient communications, and the use of telecommunications, media, and electronic network technologies to provide medical information--The Annenberg Washington Program has helped to explore these and other areas where effective communications contribute to better health.
A decade of meetings and publications in the field of health communication and related areas has taught us much about the skill and dedication of health care professionals, the vision of those who innovate in their use of com munications resources to improve health, and the courage and optimism of patients and families. The Program has been privileged to work with all of them.
In 1986, when Ambassador Walter Annenberg invited Newton N. Minow to be director, Minow asked about the Ambassador's vision for the Program. "Listen to all sides," Ambassador Annenberg said, "and then do good in the world." For the past decade, the Program's work in health communications has reflected our commitment to follow those instructions and our conviction about the transforming power of communications.