Juneteenth Events Educate and Mobilize Voters for Election 2008

Washington, DC - The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation's largest union of nurses and healthcare workers, has mounted a nationwide push for health access and equity as part of its unprecedented campaign to build a new, American healthcare system.

Our next president must seize this moment to create a new healthcare system where no patient has to worry about the level of care they receive because of their race, or ethnicity, or age or gender,"said Dennis Rivera, Chair of SEIU Healthcare, the healthcare arm of SEIU. "We need to ensure every voice is heard on this issue and in this election."

Racial and ethnic minorities are burdened with a higher prevalence of chronic diseases; are more likely to live in segregated, high-poverty communities that have historically suffered from a lack of health care investment; and are disproportionately uninsured, making them especially vulnerable to health crises.

"There are 47 million people with no healthcare coverage in America - and over 50 percent of those without coverage are people of color,"said Dian Palmer, RN, President of SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin. "Nurses and healthcare workers need to come together in every community to address these critical gaps in care and lead the way toward a new health care system that works for everyone."

On Juneteenth, SEIU is partnering with local and national organizations in cities across the country to hold events to draw attention to the need to make health equity the centerpiece of healthcare reform.

The push around Juneteenth follows the release of a report in early June by SEIU and the National Conference of Black Mayors (NCBM) decrying the nation's health care crisis. Lifeline to Health Equity: Policies For Real Health Care Reform, recommends local, state and federal interventions to reduce health inequities. Left unaddressed, disparities have the potential to unravel even the best efforts to contain health care costs and improve the overall quality of care, the report warns.

Among the findings of the report:

African Americans live 6-10 fewer years on average than whites, and are more likely to face illness during that time.

African Americans are 25% more likely to die from cancer than whites, even adjusting for age.

Even between people with similar levels of income and insurance, blacks were less likely to get the same quality of treatment for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other diseases than whites with the same illnesses.

A series of events in partnership with local, state and national organizations will underscore SEIU's commitment to make sure that health equity is a centerpiece of any healthcare reform efforts. Activities range from forums and town hall meetings to health equity film screenings and voter registration drives.

Below is a snapshot of Juneteenth activities across the country:


Wisconsin
"The Road to American Health Care,"an SEIU-sponsored national bus tour aimed at mobilizing voters around comprehensive health care reform, is stopping in Milwaukee. At Milwaukee's annual Juneteenth celebration, health care providers will conduct screenings and register and mobilize voters around this issue of health equity. A press conference highlighting the need to fix disparities will be held on June 18.


Minnesota
Healthcare workers will challenge Senator John McCain,when he visits Minneapolis for a high-dollar fundraiser. McCain's healthcare plan would do nothing to address health inequities and would make it harder for average Americans to get quality, affordable coverage.


Pennsylvania
Health care workers in Harrisburg are joining members of the NAACP for a press conference to highlight the need to make health equity a key feature of health reform.


Missouri
Workers are planning a press conference and health awareness fair with St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay.


Washington
Healthcare workers will join members of the Healthy Washington Coalition for a town hall meeting at a Seattle church to discuss eliminating health disparities.


New York
In Brooklyn, healthcare workers will join UPROSE (United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park), to screen the critically-acclaimed PBS documentary UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? and host a community discussion about the film.


Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oregon
At "Make Every Voice Heard"events, nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers will kick off voter registration drives to ensure every voice is heard on the issue of healthcare disparities.

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