International Women’s Day goal is health and well-being

Every March, Johnson County United Nations Association celebrates International Women’s Day by holding an event honoring the work of other local nonprofits that further both the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and the leadership of women. The event is an international buffet we call Night of a Thousand Dinners. This year Night of a Thousand Dinners will be Thursday, March 7, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 2533 Oakdale Road in Coralville and its focus will be Global Goal No. 3, “Good Health and well-being.”

No. 3 is not wishful thinking, but rather a set of calibrated, achievable, global targets driven by the practical hope of U.N. employees, volunteers, and partners. Conflict over resources, intergenerational revenge, and rejection of human diversity necessitate clear alternative goals and hopeful resolve in response.

JCUNA is proud to be one pocket of volunteers who work to achieve the U.N.’s global goals, support the work of UNICEF, the World Food Program, the Commission on Refugees, or other agencies, and recognize the work of local partners. This International Women’s Day we are honoring Healthy Kids School-Based Clinics, the Emma Goldman Clinic, 4C’s (Community-Coordinated Child Care of Johnson County), and the new Youth Stabilization Program by raising funds through sponsorships and ticket sales. Proceeds will be distributed among these local partners. UNICEF also will be a beneficiary of our fundraising.

JCUNA board member and University of Iowa medical student Barbara Badovinac reminds us that while good health takes on many forms, the ability to achieve it here and now “comes from a place of privilege. Insurance in this country is set up as a privilege not readily available to every member of our society. Not everyone has access to healthy and safe food/neighborhoods/jobs/social circles. It is possible to have good health without these things or bad health with every privilege under the sun, but the system was created to support the people who already have a head start.

“We are actively working with patients, their families, their insurance, and their goals to offer the best possible care we can. There is so much good a hospital can do, and I am proud to be contributing to that soon, but it is just not enough. That is where the community steps in and works tirelessly to minimize disparities. Local organizations like the four JCUNA is honoring at Night of a Thousand Dinners are giving relief to patients by addressing stigma, policies, finances, communications, and other barriers that are leading to increased risk for diseases and complications.”

This year, assistant secretary of state and career ambassador Michele Sison will be celebrating International Women’s Day with us in person.

Join us March 7 at 6 p.m. at the UUS, 2533 Oakdale Road, Coralville. Tickets are available via Eventbrite (ww.eventbrite.com). Search for Night a Thousand Dinners. Sponsorships of $100, $250, $500, and $1,000 are most welcome. Checks made out to Johnson County United Nations Association can be sent to us at 308 E. Burlington St, #245, Iowa City, IA 52240.

Barbara Eckstein is president of the Johnson County United Nations Association.