-home

-direct action

-health activism

-theory/background readings

-commentary and current affairs

-contacts

-events

-links

health and freedom network

Because you can’t have freedom without health
And True health comes with freedom

Who are we: HnF network is a broad network of health care workers, those who have an interest in health and a participants in health and those who study and or teach health care theory or skills to others. Some are community activists wanting to have a greater level of participation in health rather than just being “consumers”. Others are health care workers who participate in protests as “street medics” and try to treat those wounded and promote safety and others are academics or students who want critique and examine health itself and it’s relationship with power and freedom. There is a broad spectrum of people and groups involved at various levels from the theoretical to the practical and in between All of us have a perspective of health as a politicised state of being.

What do we do: Because the area of health is so diverse and the perspectives of health are equally diverse there wide range of activities which the HnF network is involved in, some of these are:

-We facilitate linkages and other contacts between groups and individuals with common interests.
-Some of us train protestors in basic wound care and trauma management and protestor health and safety
-Some of us go to protests as “street medics” and provide primary health care and first aid at both the front line and at rear first aid tents
-Some of us study health and write critquing health theories and present information and papers at conferences
-Some of us “re-work” billboards to promote community health messages
-Some of us monitor the news and current affairs and document and deseminate information on GATS and health care provitisation to inform the community of the dangers of a privitized health system.
-Some of us are involved in protests and direct actions against the profits of pharmacutical corporations and the arms industry.
-Some of us build participatory health into our practice and clinics. Providing health care within state (and sometimes privatised) health systems with the “patient” as an informed participant in care.

What are our directions and goals: We recognise the declaration of Alma Ata and the perspective of primary health care as being not just the absence of disease or infirmity, but social political and cultural involvement in society. We believe that in order for people to have freedom that they must have health. That the control of health resources and services by the dollar or by for-profit companies does not support the the attainment of "real" health. We acknowledge the work of social epideiologists and public health theorists who cite health as initmately related to wealth and power. Our goals are:

1) To promote the concept of health and it's relationship to freedom

2) To support the activities of other activists through first aid information and supplies

3) To facilitate a network of health workers, health students and health participants to communicate and mobilise around health and freedom.