Announcing our Healthcare Reform Forum Die-In
Thursday, March 11, 2010
This email was sent to our members on Tuesday, March 9th:
What: Health care reform die-in
When: March 11th at noon
Where: St John's Lutheran Church, 501-7th Avenue, Rock Island
Why: A few weeks ago, Families USA released a report called "Lives on the Line". The report found that 10,800 Illinoisans under 64 years of age died prematurely due to lack of health care coverage between 1995 and 2009. With lives at stake, health care reform is a morale mandate. People are dying and are impacted daily by the status of our current health care system. Change needs to happen and it needs to happen now. People of faith are asking their elected officials to have political courage, vision, and leadership and mostly, to show compassion for those that don't have access to quality, affordable health care. Our Congressman need to support current reform legislation.
NOW is the time for the BIG PUSH for health care reform.
PLEASE, if you can, give up one lunch hour to be part of the action--and maybe get your face on YouTube! Yes, this event will be VIDEOED FOR YOUTUBE.
This Thursday, March 11, 11:30 AM, at St. John's Lutheran Church, 501-7th Avenue, Rock Island, the Health Care Reform Forum of Progressive Action for the Common Good and Campaign for Better Health Care (CBHC) will be holding a "die-in" with the simple message that "Health Care is a Moral Value" (see the CBHC media advisory below--Please note: We ask participants to arrive about 11:30 for a "rehearsal/run-through"; media are invited for noon). We want this to be a large turn-out event, so spread the word and BE THERE. Note: even though CBHC is an Illinois organization, we welcome people from both Iowa and Illinois.
We will have a table with a panel of handprints to represent the # of people who, in the latest calculation, die prematurely each day in this country because they lack health insurance. We will ask people to line up, walk up to the panel, place their hand on a handprint to affirm a bond with someone who has died, then walk to an assigned spot on the floor and lie down, at which point a gong will sound. THOSE WHO MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO LIE DOWN will participate by extending the line visually (to emphasize the message that the deaths go on) and by holding a sign with the same message, "Health Care is a Moral Value."
We ask all who come to wear black, or at least dark, clothes, and we encourage members of the clergy to wear clerical garb (black with clerical collars, in most cases). We will have some printed signs and stickers with the common message, but hand-lettered signs WITH THOSE WORDS ("Health Care is a Moral Value") are also welcome. (The idea is to get uniformity.)
We expect this event to finish no later than 12:30. Participants should park in the church lot behind the church and enter the parish hall on that side of the building. There are signs.
PLEASE COME, AND PLEASE GET THE WORD OUT--TO INDIVIDUALS, TO GROUPS. THIS AFFECTS ALL OF US AND THIS IS EVERYONE'S OPPORTUNITY TO BE INVOLVED!
Karen Metcalf
Facilitator, Health Care Reform Forum
Progressive Action for the Common Good
Here is the video of this event.
Planning email from March 1st.
What: Health care reform die-in
When: March 11th at noon
Where: St John's Lutheran Church, 501-7th Avenue, Rock Island
Why: A few weeks ago, Families USA released a report called "Lives on the Line". The report found that 10,800 Illinoisans under 64 years of age died prematurely due to lack of health care coverage between 1995 and 2009. With lives at stake, health care reform is a morale mandate. People are dying and are impacted daily by the status of our current health care system. Change needs to happen and it needs to happen now. People of faith are asking their elected officials to have political courage, vision, and leadership and mostly, to show compassion for those that don't have access to quality, affordable health care. Our Congressman need to support current reform legislation.
NOW is the time for the BIG PUSH for health care reform.
PLEASE, if you can, give up one lunch hour to be part of the action--and maybe get your face on YouTube! Yes, this event will be VIDEOED FOR YOUTUBE.
This Thursday, March 11, 11:30 AM, at St. John's Lutheran Church, 501-7th Avenue, Rock Island, the Health Care Reform Forum of Progressive Action for the Common Good and Campaign for Better Health Care (CBHC) will be holding a "die-in" with the simple message that "Health Care is a Moral Value" (see the CBHC media advisory below--Please note: We ask participants to arrive about 11:30 for a "rehearsal/run-through"; media are invited for noon). We want this to be a large turn-out event, so spread the word and BE THERE. Note: even though CBHC is an Illinois organization, we welcome people from both Iowa and Illinois.
We will have a table with a panel of handprints to represent the # of people who, in the latest calculation, die prematurely each day in this country because they lack health insurance. We will ask people to line up, walk up to the panel, place their hand on a handprint to affirm a bond with someone who has died, then walk to an assigned spot on the floor and lie down, at which point a gong will sound. THOSE WHO MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO LIE DOWN will participate by extending the line visually (to emphasize the message that the deaths go on) and by holding a sign with the same message, "Health Care is a Moral Value."
We ask all who come to wear black, or at least dark, clothes, and we encourage members of the clergy to wear clerical garb (black with clerical collars, in most cases). We will have some printed signs and stickers with the common message, but hand-lettered signs WITH THOSE WORDS ("Health Care is a Moral Value") are also welcome. (The idea is to get uniformity.)
We expect this event to finish no later than 12:30. Participants should park in the church lot behind the church and enter the parish hall on that side of the building. There are signs.
PLEASE COME, AND PLEASE GET THE WORD OUT--TO INDIVIDUALS, TO GROUPS. THIS AFFECTS ALL OF US AND THIS IS EVERYONE'S OPPORTUNITY TO BE INVOLVED!
Karen Metcalf
Facilitator, Health Care Reform Forum
Progressive Action for the Common Good
Here is the video of this event.
Planning email from March 1st.
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