Good
morning--our national partners are desperately searching for someone from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas--ideally from Starr County, but ok if from other parts--to participate
in a walk to protest the closure of rural hospitals. The details are below.
Please contact Laura Guerra Cardus, MD of Texas Children's Defense Fund if
you can help (copying me please: weaverforthevalley@gmail.com lguerracar@childrensdefense.org
North
Carolina conservative Mayor Adam O’Neal is organizing a WALK from North
Carolina to D.C. to bring attention to the need for states to expand coverage
and/or find other ways to increase funds to rural hospitals. It looks
like south Texas' Starr County is on the rural hospital list and likely represents an area
at risk for hospital closure. Having a Texas representative from a rural
areas on this walk would likely bring important media attention to the need for
coverage expansion in Texas.
Is
there anyone you can think of from Starr County who would be a good
representative to join this walk? We hear most expenses will be
paid by TORCH and we can help cover the rest, so that it would be a no cost to
the participant. While the walk is two weeks long – June 1-15 - the Texas
group can do a relay with several different representatives joining for 3-4
days.
Because
of the short timeline, they are looking to confirm a walker by this
Sunday. Please let me know if there is anyone you can think of. If
your organizations cover that region and are up for a walk, you would all also
make great candidates. Below you can find more details about the walk and
pasted at the bottom is the letter from Mayor O’Neal.
The
details:
- The walk will be June
1-June 15, 273 miles in 2 weeks.
o They
began planning at the February 2015 National Rural Health forum, where it was
estimated that 283 US hospitals face closure in 2015. (apologies if my
notes reversed any digits).
o They
also are speaking to the impact that “non-Medicaid Expansion” has in states
that have not Closed the Gap, and calling on those states to come up with a
plan to fill the funding gap for rural hospitals.
- It IS Ok if 2 or more
walkers want to make it a “RELAY”: i.e., not required that one
person do the whole 2 weeks, but ideally coordinate so there is a Texas
rep the whole time.
- There is a commitment
from Texas to fund the $1950 costs of the motel rooms and bus transport
for the full 2 weeks for a Texas walker.
o We
would need to make sure the walkers can get to and from NC/DC and have food
money.
- The 2014 walk by Mayor
O’Neal after the Belhaven hospital got coverage from WSJ, WAPO, AP,
McClatchy papers.
o He
did it after the first (but sadly not last) death in his community after the ER
and hospital were closed.
PLEASE
forward this email to any lists or individuals you think might be interested.
LET
ME KNOW if you want to be a walker! dunkelberg@cppp.org
Anne
Dunkelberg ▪ Associate Director ▪ Center for Public Policy Priorities ▪ 512.320.0222
ext. 102
us
Database: 4235/8701 - Release Date: 12/08/14
JOIN
THE RALLY CRY FOR RURAL HOSPITALS
A
MESSAGE FROM THE WALK LEADERS
WE NEED
YOU ON "THE WALK NC TO DC"
Walk
with us to Washington, DC to save rural hospitals in America.
Rural
hospitals are facing the greatest challenge to their existence in the history
of our country. In the next year, 283 rural hospitals face
the uncertainty of possible closure. It is time to act. We are asking rural
hospitals from all over the country to send a representative to our June
1st, 2015 walk from Belhaven, North Carolina to Washington DC to petition
Congress to pass measures to ensure rural hospitals sustainability.
In
July 2014, we saw the closure of our critical access hospital in Belhaven,
North Carolina. After the closure, everyone seemed to think all hope was lost
for our healthcare and the economic future in our town. With the assistance of
Reverend William Barber, President of North Carolina NAACP and Al
McSurely, Civic Rights Attorney, we began a walk to
Washington, DC. We received national media coverage on our walk and a
White House sponsored meeting with key people in Washington to help us begin the
process of reopening our hospital. This walk was solely responsible for keeping
hope alive in our small town.
Now
it is time for America to stand up and demand that Washington DC work on our
rural hospital crisis. Our rural hospitals are just as important as any urban
medical centers. We feed America and deserve to keep our current level of
healthcare. When hospitals close, emergency rooms close and that means needless
deaths -- our children, family members and neighbors. We have to stand up for
ourselves and THE WALK will get Washington’s and the nation's attention.
THE
WALK starts a national debate about the condition of rural hospitals today.
Horrific damage is done to communities who lose a hospital. The potential
closure in 2015 of 283 hospitals means 36,000 lost healthcare jobs, 50,000
community jobs lost, 10.6 billion in lost GDP in rural areas. Also, if you have
just 10 needless deaths per closed hospital per year that means 2830 needless
deaths of Americans each year. This would be equivalent to a 9/11 attack
happening year after year.
Please
watch the videos on this website and commit to doing something meaningful by
signing up to join us on THE WALK.
This
is an issue we all agree on regardless of party or politics. Let’s show
Washington how we the people can cross party lines and work on this most
important issue. Let’s set an example that Washington can follow now and in the
future. Reverend Barber and Mayor O'Neal have become symbols of the power
that is generated when health care for poor people becomes a national moral
issue.
Adam
O'Neal, Mayor, Belhaven, NC
Dr.
Charles Boyette, 2003 National Country Doctor of the Year
Bob
Zellner, Civic Rights Activist
www.thewalknctodc.com
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment