From Coast to Coast

by Jess Kutch | Monday, November 03, 2008

From coast to coast, Healthcare United's ground team is gearing up for tomorrow's big day.  Below is a report from Julia Greene, who's on the ground in the swing state of Virginia, talking to nurses, doctors and other caregivers throughout the state about this election:

Our Virginia Healthcare United team visited several facilities in the northern area of the state last week. Our goal: to encourage our fellow caregivers to vote early. First stop, INOVA Fairfax Hospital, where we gathered at shift change to pass out information on how to vote early and a comparison piece we produced on the two Presidential candidates.

Our next stop was the INOVA Fair Oaks Hospital, where we met with Andrea Sall, RN. Andrea is a nurse and manages a terminally ill clinic in the area. She's been passionately involved in Healthcare United in Virginia, and is a great asset to the campaign (pictured right). We met in the parking lot and spoke of getting her fellow caregivers to vote early, flagging down other healthcare workers as they left late for the day. Andrea took a big stack of fliers and stickers with her to bring back to work tomorrow and the next day. (Way to go, Andrea!) She's also ready for the work that begins after Nov. 4th - holding our elected leaders accountable to the promise of fixing health care.

After a stop to get more batteries for our camera we stopped at Reston Hospital Center for the 5pm mid-shift change. By the close of the day, we had conversations with dozens of caregivers about the importance of this election, and passed along information on how they can vote early and avoid complications on Election Day. All in all, it was a great day on the Healthcare United campaign trail!

And on the Pacific coast, Mara Kieval, RN has been pounding the pavement in Oregon's 5th Congressional District with her fellow RNs. One of our own nurse activists, Teri Cummings, RN, is running for City Council in West Linn, and we're all cheering her on for a big win. Here are a couple of shots from an earlier meeting of caregivers and last week's canvass with Teri:  

 

To get involved with GOTV efforts in your state, check out your state page and contact a local organizer. (And if we don't have a field operation in your state, you can make calls to other caregivers in key battleground states by using our phonebanking tool.)

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Caregivers Speak to Candidate Jerry Connolly of Virginia

by Matt Pendergast | Monday, October 27, 2008

The Virginia team held its "Candidate Forum" for the 11th Congressional District on Saturday. It was held at The Virginian, a retirement community in Fairfax. There were 32 attendees, twenty of whom were healthcare professionals. Gerry Connolly, the Democratic candidate for Congress, was the guest of honor.

It was a great afternoon. Nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, and nursing assistants asked hard (and often emotional) questions of our candidate and came away impressed with his knowledge and commitment to improving patient care. Their questions and comments often included personal stories that revealed the fractured state of our healthcare system. There was even a spirited debate on the merits of electronic record-keeping. Mr. Connolly emphasized that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. He said that healthcare professionals must have a voice in proposed solutions, instead of allowing wonks, policy makers, and powerful lobbyists to set the tone for change.

Everyone was so engaged in the discussion that we ran over the scheduled time of the event. Many of the participants, including the candidate, stayed behind to talk about the issues and make new friends. Our Healthcare United Virginia activists are fast becoming a family, and are excited to push for healthcare reform in 2009.

Do you live in Virginia? If so, we'd love to meet you! To get involved, contact me via email at matt@healthcareunited.org or via phone at (202) 251-4288.

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Update from Virginia

by Matt Pendergast | Monday, October 06, 2008

Across the Commonwealth, healthcare professionals are on the move to create lasting reform to repair our broken system.  If you live in Virginia, this is your chance to make change.

Just in the past few weeks Healthcare United has sent delegations of activists to meet with Congressman Dick Wolf and his opponent, Judy Feder. We’ve met with Congressman Jim Moran and his opponent, Mark Ellmore.  We sat down with candidate Gerry Connolly and shared ideas on how to address the great need for affordable care in our communities.  In the Tidewater area a delegation is preparing to meet with Glenn Nye, candidate for Congress in the Second District.  

How can you join us?  Well, for starters you can attend two important events that will turn up the volume on the importance of the healthcare issue for congressional candidates.  On Saturday, October 18, it’s our Get Out The Vote Kickoff in Herndon and we have invited the Congressional Candidates to address the walkers on what their plans are for addressing the healthcare issue. On Saturday, October 25, it’s a chance to Meet the Candidates at our Healthcare Forum in Fairfax.  We are planning a similar event in the Tidewater area as well. 

You can also help us make calls to healthcare workers across the state from our office phone bank in Fairfax and Virginia Beach or right from your own home by clicking on the Make Calls button right on this page.

We are Healthcare United Virginia. We’re going to make real reform happen.  Join us!

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It’s Time for Healthcare Workers to Show Some Teeth

by Lesa Crane, RDH, BSHS | Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Oral health is a part of total optimum health. Recent publications have disclosed the relationship between oral health and diabetes, heart disease, low birth weight/ premature babies and lung diseases. As a dental hygienist for over twenty years I was able to see these connections first hand. I was able to see how removing the debris in the patients' mouth would improve their total health. For one uncontrolled diabetic patient I personally treated, I was able to see first hand how once the infection that was destroying the gums and the underlying bone was cleared up, the diabetes became more stable. The care I provided for the patient was not complicated from a dental hygiene treatment standpoint, but the periodontal status was seriously compromised due to the diabetic condition. Often the services provided by dental hygienists are often seen as a luxury and only those who have "dental insurance" are able to take advantage of this type of care. This patient had not been afforded routine dental hygiene care throughout his life to prevent the complications in the first place.

Our health care system in the United States is the greatest in the world in my opinion. It is just very broken with too many entities determining how care should be provided, delivered and compensated. In dental hygiene there is no consistency in the type or manner our care can be provided. It was only recently that dental hygienists in Virginia were granted authority, under the supervision of a dentist, to provide pain management with nitrous oxide sedation and administration of local anesthesia, while dental hygienists in other states in have been providing this service for over 30 years! How are those in one state different than those in another who have to go through the rigorous educational standards as well as national and clinical board examinations?

I am joining the movement of Healthcare United because anyone can make a difference. As a citizen of the United States of America, we must be willing to take the time to understand the issues our country is facing. In 1992, the candidates campaigned for healthcare reform and the country became aware of the issues Americans were facing. Americans are still facing these same problems, only we now know more about how preventive oral health care can make all Americans healthier. This election is already proven to be one of historic proportions. Historic changes are going to be made, the question is, are you going to be a part of those changes or let others make the decisions for you?

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Diabetes Educators Join The Movement

by Matt Pendergast | Monday, August 25, 2008

The American Association of Diabetes Educators meets every year to catch up with the latest technology and focus on new efforts in health education and prevention. It was no surprise, then, to find Healthcare United volunteers from Virginia at this year’s Washington, DC event. As repeated calls from healthcare professionals for accessible, preventive medicine go unheeded by our elected officials, the nurses and pharmacists of the AADE are joining with Healthcare United to add momentum to this vital cause.

Over the three-day conference, Maryjane Cathers, Debra Goodwin, and Lora Pittington, all of whom are from Virginia, worked the Healthcare United table, reaching out to the thousands of colleagues in attendance. They were joined by Sheila McGinnis, a physician assistant and Healthcare United volunteer from Pennsylvania. These four professionals met and chatted with dedicated diabetes educators from across the country. The information they gathered and shared will fuel our efforts in twenty states. 

The AADE conference clearly demonstrated that we are not alone in the fight for a healthcare system that works for all Americans.

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