The Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc. (CHCB) in collaboration with the Buffalo Documentary Project (BDP) and Burchfield Penney will premiere Fight For Good, a 20-minute film documenting the center’s efforts to provide continuous care to underserved patients of color in the face of inequity and systemic racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The documentary explores the impact of CHCB physicians; the leadership role of women of color; and the challenges presented by healthcare disparities.

The film captures candid, firsthand experiences, personal and organizational challenges in providing treatment, difficulties faced by families, and the impact of racism in the broader healthcare system.

“In Fight For Good we give our voice to our common humanity,” said Dr. LaVonne Ansari, Chief Executive Officer, CHCB.  “This includes our innermost fears of personal vulnerability and loss; our frustrations and hopes for a healthcare system that is on one hand truly miraculous, and on the other, afflicted.” 

Due to social distancing requirements, the virtual premiere, followed by a panel discussion, will be livestreamed at https://buffalodocumentaryproject.com/fight-for-good/and on the Burchfield Penney Facebook page www.facebook.com/BurchfieldPenney Panelists include:

• Dr. LaVonne Ansari, Chief Executive Officer, CHCB, Inc.
• Dr. Kenyani Davis, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, CHCB, Inc.
• Dr. Shilpa Kapoor, DDS, MS, BDS, Dental Director, CHCB, Inc.
• Mani Mehrvarz, Founding Director, BDP
• Maryam Muliaee, Art Director, BDP
• SUNY Buffalo State College professor Naila Ansari, BDP film curator/interviewer

In the summer of 2020, the Buffalo Documentary Project (BPD) approached the health center to explore sharing their stories about the virus plaguing the world, severely threatening lives in the communities it serves. Founded by director Mani Mehrvarz in 2016, it tells the untold stories of Buffalo and Western New York through documentary filmmaking. Maryam Muliaee, a media artist, scholar and educator serves as the art director, researcher and animator. Buffalo State College Theater and African Studies assistant professor Naila Ansari serves as the documentary’s curator/interviewer.