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The Invisible Patients film to make Evansville debut at USI Sept. 14

September 7, 2016

A free screening of The Invisible Patients, an award-winning documentary filmed in Evansville, will be held Wednesday, September 14 at 6:30 p.m. in Mitchell Auditorium located in the Health Professions Center at the University of Southern Indiana. The film, featuring Evansville nurse practitioner Dr. Jessica MacLeod, draws attention to a hidden population of nearly 5 million homebound and home-limited individuals who are unable to access the healthcare system due to a combination of functional impairment, chronic illness and poverty.

This will be the first public showing of The Invisible Patients in Evansville and will be followed by a light reception and film discussion with MacLeod, film director and producer Patrick O'Connor and Dr. Kevin Valadares, associate professor of Health Administration at USI.

MacLeod taught full-time in the USI Nursing Program from 2003 to 2007. In 2013, she began working for MD2U, a company that employs nurse practitioners and physicians who provide primary care in the homes of home-limited and home-bound patients.

To create The Invisible Patients, O'Connor accompanied MacLeod on her house calls over a 10-month period, unveiling some of the most difficult healthcare issues facing our country, from the living conditions of the elderly poor and end of life care, to the soaring costs of hospitalization, complexity of insurance and over-prescription of opiates. "Her patients' stories reveal the emotional as well as the financial burdens created by our current system, and cry out for solutions," said O'Connor. "It's clear to me that nurse practitioners like Jessica represent one answer."

The film follows MacLeod's care of four patients: Wink and Patty, an elderly couple dealing with a host of chronic conditions; Roger, a 30-year-old man with Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy; and Ron, a wheelchair-bound man with functional limitations caused by injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

"I really just want the audience to see the people I see - how they live, what challenges they face in terms of health, economics, addiction, lack of education," said MacLeod. "I just want people to know that these invisible patients are here, among us - they're in our communities, and we need to do more to take care of them."

MacLeod said she is looking forward to the film's Evansville debut. "Seeing the film alongside my family, friends and some of my patients is going to be extremely emotional for me," she said. "The film is intensely intimate in showing my life and struggles doing this type of work, as well as the struggles of the patients and families for whom I care. The film really lets the audience peek into the very private relationships that we share, and also casts a light on so many issues that are difficult for these specific patients, but are probably shared by thousands in our community."

The Invisible Patients was named winner of the Audience Choice Award at the 2016 Indy Film Fest.

To RSVP for the Evansville screening, email Melissa Hobson at mahobson@usi.edu

Watch the trailer at: http://invisiblepatients.com

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