Events
and current activities
San Antonio Healthcare-Now Coalition
Steering Committee Meeting
The First Thursday of Every Month
6:30 P.M.
EXCEPTION:
The next meeting will be on Thursday, January 8.
National Nurses Organization Committee
Office
7959
Fredricksburg Road
(At
Medical Drive in the Oakhills Shopping Center next to Vision Source)
Anyone interested in working towards
healthcare reform is welcome to attend.
Thurs.,
January 15: HR 676 National Call-In Day
The Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Healthcare–National Single-Payer Coalition
Steering Committee has adopted a national call-in day to Congressional
members at their Washington office on Thursday, January 15. The
call-in days will focus coalition organizations on asking their
membership to call individual members of Congress to support HR
676. Our goal is to get thousands of calls to Congress in support
of HR 676.
Keeping calls brief and to the point is best, and not only makes your
group's members more willing to make calls, but also makes sending a
clear message to Congressional members more efficient.
Please keep track of your group's outreach efforts, especially
reactions to the calls that your members may note. All of this
information is critical as we track the support in Congress for HR
676. Please report back about the call-in day to Healthcare-NOW!
at info@healthcare-now.org.
District 20, Charlie Gonzalez, D:
(202) 225-3236
District 21, Lamar Smith, R: (202) 225-4236
District 23, Ciro Gonzalez, D: (202) 225-4511
District 28, Henry Cuellar, D: (202) 225-1640
If
possible, request to speak to the chief of staff or healthcare aide,
rather than leaving the message with whomever answers the phone.
As
none of our local Congressional representatives have yet signed on as
co-sponsors of HR 676, the following script is suggested. Feel
free to use your own words.
Hi, my
name is _________. I am
calling to urge Representative
_________ to support of HR 676, John Conyers’ National Health
Insurance Act. Rep. Conyers plans to reintroduce HR 676
this month, and I want to reaffirm my
support for HR 676, single-payer healthcare legislation and ask
Rep. _________ to do the same by signing on as a co-sponsor
and
working for true reform of this terrible healthcare system. I say
no to Massachusetts-style healthcare and yes to single-payer healthcare
as proposed in HR 676. Single-payer
gives more
freedom of choice and access to quality care for patients, and it is
the
most economical way to make sure we all have access to care when we
need
it. Now is the time to give the gift of healthcare for all to every
American. Thank you. If you have any questions
about single-payer or about me, please call me at _________.
Mon.,
January 19: MLK march
Check back soon for details
SAHNC joins forces with COPS Metro in workshops at local churches
An
important way to promote healthcare reform is to challenge people to
become active. By reaching out to others, talking to them, and
raising
awareness of how serious the problem has become, the healthcare reform
movement is building momentum.
Communities Organized for Public Service have created a 90-minute
program to generate awareness and stimulate discussion and social
action without advocating a specific plan for healthcare reform.
Among the presenters are SAHNC members Vibeke Mendonca-Lee and
Stephen Chao, who talk about the current state of healthcare in America
and its impact on individuals and families. The next segment
concerns
the tradition and responsibility of faith, and about churches being
involved in social issues. Then SAHNC members Jane Cantu and
Diane
Kilby talk about personal healthcare stories before leading small group
discussions.
The first presentation was at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Helotes
on October
4. Other presentations are planned for the next few months.