Radio Debate on Health Care Reform

Dr. Cameron Page jousted on BlogTalkRadio with Gary Anthony Ramsay on December 28. Hear the show here:

Celebrating our Accomplishments

NPA NY celebrated this year's accomplishments with our community partners downtown in Manhattan on December 14th. Dr. Manisha Sharma MC'ed with verve and Dr. Aaron Fox spoke eloquently. We were serenaded by the hilarious Billionaires for Wealthcare. More than 125 people who made it out for a great party and we raised $530 and 3 BIG boxes of food for City Harvest.

12/10 Lobby Day at Capitol Hill

NPA members Drs. Arend, Williams and I joined over 50 physicians in Washington, D.C., on December 10th for a day of action in Washington, D.C, organized by current/former RWJ Clinical Scholars. Our New York contingent joined other physicians from places as far as Illinois, Louisiana, Oregon, and California to meet with our Congressional leaders to ensure that our patients' voices were heard. Though we were mutli-specialty (ob/gyn, urology, internal medicine, psychiatry etc) and multi-affiliated, we all shared a common goal: we want all of our patients to have access to affordable, high-quality, continuous health care. Our NPA-NY group was joined by Drs. Blum and Dreyer, as we met with staff members of Senator Gillibrand and Representative McMahon. Our day of lobbying ended with a press conference with Senate leaders in the Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building. For me, the true highlight of the event was meeting so many doctors who decided to take a day off from clinical duties and participate in much-needed advocacy on behalf of their patients. For more.

Cost of Delay Vigil - Times Square

Dr. Manisha Sharma spoke at the Cost of Delay Vigil in Times Square on December 8, 2009. Pictured here with Tim Foley.

Cost of Delay Vigil - Queens

On December 8, Dr. Bill Jordan joined 2 other speakers to address a dedicated crowd of Queens residents who support health care reform. This was part of a national night of vigils to highlight the cost of delaying reform, which includes illness, bankruptcy, and even death.

Cost of Delay Vigil - MoveOn.org - December 8, 2009 - Brooklyn, NY

NPA member, Raphael Pristoop, MD, spoke at the Brooklyn, "Cost of Delay" Vigil, held on December 8, 2009 at 5:00 pm. It was conducted by the MoveOn.org's Brooklyn Council and was held in Cadman Plaza, in downtown Brooklyn. The "Cost of Delay" vigil shone a spotlight on the number of Americans in our communities who can't afford to pay the costs of their medical bills and are being forced into bankruptcy. Other Speakers included Brooklyn Borough Vice President and Registered Nurse Yvonne Graham, Gail Muhamad, Special Assistant to Congressman Ed Towns, as well as citizens burdened with devastating health care expenses. Music provided by world class drummer Swiss Chris of www.swissorg.org. Virtual candlelight supplied by motivated MoveOn members with flashlights. Special thanks to its moderator and Media coordinator, Ms. Shawn Walsh. The video was shot by Brooklyn's Council's videograhper Harry Mena.

Photos from the vigil can be viewed at this website: http://www.richardkoek.com/moveon2/

Lobby day to support health reform including access to reproductive health care

On December 2nd hundreds of supporters of health reform attended a lobby day and rally in support of comprehensive health reform that does not include restrictions on access to insurance coverage for abortions. The health reform bill approved by the House in November included an amendment known as the Stupak Amendment that would go beyond the status quo preventing federal funding for abortions. If these provisions are approved, women purchasing coverage through the newly established insurance exchange, or their dependents, would be required to pay for any abortion care out of pocket. The only exceptions delineated are for rape, incest, or threat to maternal life. Not included are threat to maternal health or fetal anomalies.

I led a group of students from the Columbia School of Public Health. We met with representatives for Senator Gillibrand and Representative Rangel. We also attended a rally at which multiple Representatives and Senators expressed their support for access to full spectrum reproductive health care as part of any health reform effort.