Archive for April, 2009
It’s starting already
Today’s Washington Post has an article about how there’s already trouble brewing over President Obama’s plan. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/20/AR2009042003702.html?hpid=topnews The health care industry lobby is complaining that a governement-sponsored plan would have less overhead and be able to be more efficient, meaning the private insurance companies wouldn’t be able to make as much profit. See, the government [...]
Lesson learned
Always find out who’s demonstrating nearby beforehand. Fred Phelps’ group (the God hates gays “pastor” and his followers) were setting up as we were breaking down. Cops arrived soon after we started and they were everywhere, and nobody wanted to stop and listen to us. We had a dozen or so people and a whole lot [...]
We’re not home free yet
Severeal people have said in the last week that they’re sure we’ll have meaningful reform this year. I’m not so quick to believe that. The insurance companies are not going to go along willingly. Already, they have “offered” to insure everyone as long as the government subsidizes them. That means they want the government to [...]
Chocolate and rebirth
This is our first Easter without Mike and I think it might be the hardest holiday yet. It’s all about rebirth and new life, and that makes me miss Mike all t he more. With joy all around me, I found myself crying in church this morning. Mary Cowal, whose lifelong partner, Mary Etta Perry, [...]
Our first mail
Life o’ Mike is officially incorporated as of Wednesday, and today we got our first three pieces of mail addressed to Life o’ Mike Inc. All of them were junk mail, but still …
Don’t give it all to the private sector
Insurance companies are worried about President Obama’s proposal to create a public health plan to compete with the private plans. The ideal for them is a private non-partnership that would force all of us to buy insurance from them and then take even more money from the taxpayers to make up for having to cover [...]
87 million
Families USA released a report this week that said 87 million Americans were without insurance for all or part of 2007 and 2008. Not 47 million, 87 million. From the introduction of the report: “To find out how many people are affected by being uninsured, Families USA commissioned The Lewin Group to analyze data from [...]
In 21st century America
I stopped by a party tonight for Edward Chapman, the man who wrongfully spent 14 years on Death Row here in North Carolina for two murders he didn’t commit. He was released from prison the day after Mike died, so we’ve spent some time talking about the changes in our lives this past year. I [...]
One long year
It was a year ago today that Mike died. I tried to honor his memory. We had our first board meeting for Life o’ Mike this morning, approved bylaws and discussed how we will raise money and what we will do with it. Since I don’t believe health care will be made available to all [...]
Have a beer in May
Stop into Altamont Brewing, 1042 Haywood Road, West Asheville, any time in May and ask for their "charity" beer of the day. Buy one and Life o' Mike gets $1. In fact, we get a buck for each one sold. So go in every day and have one to support Life o' Mike.
Thanks, Altamont!
Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a peer support program for people with one or more serious or chronic medical issues or disabilities.
We aim to reduce isolation and fear among people who have conditions, including psychiatric illness, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, mild dementia or other cognitive disorder or disability, thereby reducing depression and complications as people learn to improve self-management of their medical conditions.
Patient Pals help alleviate feelings of isolation and frustration. They can help people develop a list of questions to ask the doctor and then accompany the person to the doctor to make sure all the questions are answered, taking notes to be sure the person understands the doctor’s answers.
Our trained volunteers also accompany their “Pals” to art exhibits, movies and walks outdoors, meet for coffee, call to check in and more.
Our Pals have experienced weight loss, improvement in diabetes, HIV, psoriasis, depression and more, just because they have someone who cares about them. Some relationships develop into longer-term friendships; other Pals move on to more independent lives.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
We need volunteers, who are asked to donate a minimum of one hour a week. Training is free and includes information on active listening, ways to help and when to know more help is needed.
And of course, we need funding.
To learn more, call Leslie Boyd at 828-243-6712 or e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com.
Start From Seed
Life o' Mike has a new program- Start from Seed (SFS).
SFS is a volunteer doula program aimed at providing non-medical, comprehensive support to low income, high-risk women and families of Buncombe County focusing on three areas:
1. We help new doulas with certification and training in return for their participation as a volunteer doula for SFS
2. We mentor volunteer doulas with their first few clients
3. Our volunteer doulas provide birth and postpartum doula services to low income, high risk moms, providing support and tools to empower them as a new parent.
A birth doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; a postpartum doula provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Start from Seed clients are referred to us from the Buncombe County Department of Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership Program, Western North Carolina Community Health Services, and Mission Hospital. The Program is intended and designed for growing clients’ inner strength and helping them gain empowerment to help them cope with the emotional, physical and mental challenges of childbirth, labor, and motherhood.
Our new moms and their infants have many needs. If you would like to help them get off to a good start, please visit our Start from Seed web site: Start from Seed, or call Program Director Chelsea Kouns at 804-814-9946.