ZYNC TV covers Health Care Rally

ZYNC TV, a Brooklyn-based, Caribbean-focused community news and entertainment program, covered the August 29th Health Care Reform Rally in Times Square. Director of Legislative Affairs, Jonathan Arend's speech, and comments from NPA-NY Local Action Network members, Drs. Javier Garica and Oni Blackstock were included in the coverage.

Turning the Tide: NYC Rally Success

Thanks to all of you who showed up to be a part of an amazing event, organized by the NYCforChange and HCAN coalition of over 80 grassroots organizations. We had amazing speakers -- including Congressmembers Yvette Clark, Carolyn Maloney, and Jerry Nadler, and our very own Jonathan Arend (Legislative Director - NY NPA) and Nina Agrawal (Director of Community Outreach - NY NPA and founder of NYCforChange). There were about 3000 supporters at the rally (estimated by NYPD). People loved the "prescriptions for health reform" (download it here)and were excited to see physicians and medical students at the rally in support of reform. Check out our media coverage!!!

TV:
Aaron Fox on NY1
David Herszenson on ABC

Print/Web:
NY Times
LA Times (AP)
MSNBC / Washington Post
Huffington Post
Daily Kos
Examiner
World Journal

Photos:
Flickr
Gothamist


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Patients deserve peace of mind

Sharon Phillips, NPA NY, wrote a compelling letter to the editor to Wicked Local, Concord, MA to share her support for health care reform.

To the editor:

Although I am currently a family doctor practicing in the Bronx, I grew up in Concord. I was disappointed to read of the angry opposition Congresswoman Niki Tsongas received at her Town Hall meeting on Aug. 8. As a physician, I strongly support a public health insurance plan. While private insurance companies pay high executive salaries and operate to maximize shareholder profits, a public health insurance plan would be designed to pay solely for the needs of its members.

While protesters of health reform fear that their options will decrease, the truth is that a public health insurance plan will provide an affordable alternative to prohibitively expensive private insurance and will foster competition to guarantee that quality, affordable coverage will be there for everyone in America when they need it.

Every day I see patients who cannot get the health care they need, either because they have lost their job, their insurance premiums have become unaffordable, or because their insurance company has denied a necessary treatment in order to save money. Several of my patients have been admitted to the hospital this year because they couldn’t afford their medications, turning controllable chronic conditions into emergencies.

Guaranteeing coverage for all through a public health insurance plan will mean that I can spend time with my patients and know that neither of us needs to worry about whether they will have access to the care they need in the future.

My patients deserve this peace of mind. I urge your readers to contact Congresswoman Tsongas to affirm their support for health care reform that includes a strong public health insurance option.

Sharon Phillips, M.D.

Fairhaven Road

Montefiore Medical Center

Bronx N.Y.

A Week of Action

If you are a daily news gatherer, you'd think that meaningful health care reform was doomed for failure and that no one supports the public health insurance option. Media outlets (tv, radio, paper, internet) seem more interested in the anti-reform movement, being funded by multi-billion dollar interest groups, than grassroots efforts of millions in support of the public option. And this obsession with negativity is only fueling the fire. In truth, here in NYC, advocates of the public health insurance option are out in full force. We are unified.

Over the last several days, I participated in several amazing events hosted by various organizations in the NYC metro area. My first event was a Thursday afternoon grand rounds at Bronx Lebanon Hospital. Dr. Bill Jordan, NPA NY, gave a lecture about physicians' role in health care advocacy. He engaged an audience of 50 plus medical students, residents, and faculty in cases discussion about green markets in NYC and NPA action in health care reform debate. Later that night, leaders of grassroots organization gathered at CIR/SEIU for a teach-in on the various legislative plans being considered and for a support-strategy meeting. On Friday, we held a press conference at Ryan Chelsea health center to let our congressional leaders and our President know that we support the public health insurance option. Community members/health activists shared their stories demonstrating the failure of our current health care system. Among them, Dr. Manisha Sharma's personal experience illustrated that even insured patients (premium paying members) are not immune from insurance companies' profit mongering (watch video here). And tonight, I joined a few members of NPA NY and NYC for Change at a Nine Inch Nails concert to rally support among young adults, who are commonly affected by the lack of affordable health insurance.

Though we are a group of local NY/NJ physicians, I know we don't stand alone. About a half million doctors nationwide support the public health insurance option. And we stand with our millions of patient - insured, under-insured, and uninsured - as we fight for a public health insurance option.

We are mobilizing, standing strong, and will make our voices heard.
Stand with us, show your support:
Unity Rally for Health Care, August 29th, 2pm
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpkg2x
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=119410712311&ref=mf

Thanks,
Karen Wang, MD
NPA NY Local Action Network

More photos, courtesy of Eva Brams