Road Show News

Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana; Florida; Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina,West Virginia; Pennsylvania

The Road Shows: Why are we doing them?

 

Why is Healthcare-NOW, together with the Physicians for a National Health Program and the California Nurses Association, NNOC organizing these Road Shows?   We started out hoping to encourage a lot of people in communities across the South to see "SiCKO" and react to the way healthcare is being denied to their own communities; to provide spokespeople traveling on the Road Show who could talk about the CURE -- the legislation called H.R. 676, the United States National Health Insurance Act, to provide tools so that people can build their own coalitions in their own communities; and to urge people to elect progressive members of Congress who will help us get guaranteed, single payer, national healthcare.

We at Healthcare-NOW want to join this struggle with other national and international efforts to expose and turn around the privatization of all of our public services and to re-create the necessary structures at local and national levels to provide the services we need on a non-profit basis.   We want responsive government, not private profit-making entities that are unaccountable to our communities and our families.

 

 

PLEASE HELP US MEET OUR GOALS -  If you are interested in being a part of the thinking about the next Road Show, just call our office -- 1-800-453-1305.  Or send your ideas via info@healthcare-now.

To contribute to the Road Show, click DONATE NOW .

OR MAKE A DONATION IN HONOR OF OR MEMORIALIZING SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT.

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Receive DVD along with the Discussion Guide and an Organizing Manual and Healthcare-NOW membership. Get involved!    

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A SHOCKING PIECE OF NEWS: Since the beginning of the Iraq War, according to American Patients for Universal Health Care, 82,700 of our U.S. residents have died needlessly because of insurance company denials.  The insurance companies kill people every day in order to keep their profits high. Death by denial --It is a fact. It is the way they increase profits.  Our next Road Show will memorialize the thousands who have been denied by the insurance companies and who have died as a result.

 

HEALTHCARE-NOW SiCKO-CURE ROAD SHOW

SUMMARY OF EVENTS AT EACH STOP:

We want to thank all of the terrific local organizers who made things happen at every stop, many of whom are following through with organizing in their local community for a national single payer healthcare system.

GARY, Indiana: Bill Gibbons, Mike Mitchell, and Steve Skvara;

TERRA HAUTE, Indiana: Jessica Livingston

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana: Maria Parra

LEXINGTON, Ky: Sally Evans, Richard Mitchell, David Schankula

NASHVILLE, Tn: Pat Petty, Debbie Hester

COLUMBIA, Tn: Betsy Parris

HUNTSVILLE, Al: Anis Salib

BIRMINGHAM, Al: Sharron Williams

HATTIESBURG, Ms: Shelley Thoppil

NEW ORLEANS, La: Brad Ott, Derrick Morrison

TALLAHASSEE, Fl: Sheri Scott, Barbara DeVane

ALBANY, Ga

MACON, Ga: Octavia Lawton, Janis Haley

ATLANTA

AUGUSTA, Ga: Denice Traina

COLUMBIA, SC: Brett Bursey

GREENVILLE, SC:

ASHEVILLE, NC: Ernie Boyd

GREENSBORO, NC: Jack Marion, Miriam Thompson

RESEARCH TRIANGLE AREA, NC: Miriam Thompson

ROCKY MOUNT, NC: Saladin Muhammed

PETERSBURG, VA: Lokesh Vuyyuru

MORGANTOWN, WV: Dick Iammarino, Catherine Forman, Peter Wentzel

PITTSBURGH, PA: Sandy Fox

 

 

 

Gary, IN [Press]

1. SiCKO showing, United Steel Workers Union Hall

2. Meeting with Congressman Visclosky’s staff

 

 

Terre Haute, IN [Press]

1. SiCKO showing, Holmstedt Hall, Indiana State Univ.
2. Meeting with Congressman Ellsworth’s staff 

 

Bloomington, IN 

1. Meeting with Congressman Hill’s staff
2. Joint rally with anti-war folks, volunteer fireman w/out health insurance, and others at town  square in Bloomington

 

Lexington, KY 

  

1. 7 PM presentation at Central Library
2. Leafleting at state-wide Healthcare Conference, Four Points Sheraton
3. WVLK Talk show with Liv and Donna
4. Meeting with Mike Noyes, Congressman Chandler’s staff
5. Outreach and presentation at Bluegrass Community and Technical College      

 

Nashville, TN [Good press]

1. Outreach in Riverfront Park
2. 2 PM HR 676 DVD & presentation at Inglewood Library

 

Columbia, TN  

1. Press briefing at The Farm  (intentional community)
2. Local SiCKO showing and discussion
3. Radio interview with Liv and Donna
4. Efforts to meet w/ Congressman Davis did not materialize, but Dr. Hudson and other locals are committed to make that happen

(This stop resulted in the formation of a new coalition on this issue.)

 

Huntsville, AL 

1. Local organizing workshop for local leaders at Fern Bell Recreation Center
2. SiCKO showing, Chan Auditorium, UAH
3. 10 AM meeting Congressman Cramer’s office; rally outside

(This stop resulted in the formation of a new coalition on this issue.)

 

Birmingham, AL 

1. HR 676 DVD showing at Safari Café
2. Chance meeting w/ Congressman Davis, Julia and Sharron;

Davis committed to watch SiCKO and HR 676 DVD and reconsider co-sponsoring HR 676

1. Out reach in locations around Birmingham
2. SiCKO showing at Church of the Reconciler, 9-12 AM
3. Fellowship with the homeless under the overpass on Thanksgiving morning and at Firehouse Shelter

(Twenty homeless people that the team met showed up at Congressman Artur Davis’s town meeting on the 11/28  to ask about his support for HR 676.)

 

Hattiesburg, MS

1. Outreach at outdoor mall
2. Informal meeting with Geri Martin in Congressman Gene Taylor’s office
3. Visit with local contact (Shelley Thoppil) for in-home SiCKO showing

(This stop energized Shelley Thoppil to do organizing and outreach on this issue.)

 

New Orleans, LA [Press]

1. Meeting with city-wide community leaders about public housing demolition at University of Loyola Law School
2. Tour of Charity Hospital and surrounding area; briefing about fight to get it reopened
3. SiCKO showing Ashe Cultural center
4. SiCKOand HR 676 showing and discussion, Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge
5. Meeting with an attempt to buttonhole Congressman Melancon; unsuccessful
6. Visit to Lower Ninth Ward and tour of area

 

Tallahassee, FL[]

1. Meeting w/ Jerry Southwick in Congressman Boyd’s office
2. Press conference at Bond Community Health Center
3. Outreach on campus at Florida State University
4. Evening dinner and community meeting to plan future strategy

 

Albany, GA 

1. Walk for Better Health
2. House SiCKO showing at home of Susie Smith

(Congressman Bishop agreed to co-sponsor HR 676 after this event)

                  

Macon, GA

1. Workshop with locals in hopes of energizing the local coalition;

Event pulled together by Octavia Lawton, Mercer Public Health student

(This stop hopefully resulted in the reformation of a coalition on this issue.)

 

      13a. Atlanta, GA 

                (Initially not planned. Attended National AIDS day vigil in Atlanta to kick-

                   off National HIV/AIDS Prevention Conference there; Liv Boykins was one of

                   the speakers.)

 

 

Augusta, GA

1. HR 676 DVD and discussion at Paine College
2. Morning meeting with staff at Congressman Barrow’s office

 

Columbia, SC  [Good press]

1. Press conference in front of the State House

(Local contact, Brett Bursey, claims that press contact during road show visit prompted most important newspaper editor in state to come out in support of single-payer solution ).

1. Meet and greet at the State House
2. Noon event with AMSA at USC School of Medicine
3. AFL-CIO Holiday party
4. No contact with Congressman Clyburn; locals are committed to follow-up.

 

       15b.   Greenville, SC

                 (Added stop on way to Asheville to meet with the editorial board of the     

                   Greenville News – at the paper’s request.)

 

Asheville, NC 

1. 4 PM meet and greet at City County Plaza
2. SiCKO screening and discussion at WNC Community Health Center
3. Press conference
4. Unsuccessful attracting Congressman Shuler or staff to any events; no               

meeting

(This stop resulted in the formation of a new coalition on this issue.)

 

Greensboro, NC [Good press]

1. Two SiCKO showings sponsored by the Teamsters Local 391 and         

       NC Alliance for Retired Americans; Torre Jessup from Congressman

       Watt’s office showed up at second one

(This stop may result in the formation of a new coalition on this issue.)

 

Research Triangle area, NC

1. Friday evening meeting with local leaders in Chapel Hill, including Moses Terry and the head of the Alliance of African American Elected Officials  
2. Progressive Democrats of NC annual meeting
3. Liv Boykins guest speaker at Rev. Barber’s church in Goldsboro
4. Local leaders’ efforts to arrange meeting with Congressman Etheridge not successful

 

Rocky Mount, NC [Good press]

1. Community education/organizing event with the Black Workers for Justice

1. Promised follow-up with Congressman Butterfield, but no contact during visit

 

       19a.   Petersburg, VA 

                 (Breakfast meeting with leaders of Concerned Citizens of Petersburg (CONCOP)  not originally planned as part of the trip. Group asked to affiliate and work with Healthcare-NOW).  

 

                   

Morgantown, WV  [Press]

1. Informal discussion at WVU Health Sciences Center
2. Special showing HR 676 DVD to Laura Jones, Milan Puskar Health Right Clinic
3. Meeting with Kate Johnson in Congressman Mollohan’s office cancelled at last minute; locals have promised follow-up
4. Open house at Blue Moose Café, 5-8 PM, which included attendance by  Barbara Evans Fleischauer of the WV House of Delegates

 (This stop resulted in the formation of a new coalition on this issue.)

 

Pittsburgh, PA  [Great press]

1. National health Day events in City County Building, downtown Pittsburgh

Road show welcoming reception at Mendelson Gallery