Mainlanders view the Pacific Islands as a paradise, but diabetes, cardiovascular and kidney diseases and tuberculosis are taking a toll on the Pacific Islander population. In the Marshall Islands and in the unlikely spot of Springdale, AR, this program shows how globalization is affecting health -- often in unanticipated ways. How does job insecurity and unemployment affect health? In rural western Michigan, residents struggle against depression, domestic violence, heart disease and diabetes when the largest refrigerator factory in the country shuts down. Ironically, the plant is owned by a Swedish company. In Sweden, shutdowns are relatively benign events and, for some people, even create opportunities thanks to Swedish government policies.
