Talking to decision-makers
I spent Tuesday in Raleigh, talking to legislators and the state secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services about issues surrounding nonprofits and health care.
I talked about how the states are going to have a great deal to do with how well reform cares for people as they set up their exchanges.
They all knew me during my newspaper days, but now they know me for my activism. I have to say, I really, really love being able to do this.
As a reporter, I couldn’t explain why I thought their views mght be wrong about an issue; I could only ask why they held it. I could only say, “Opponents of the bill say…”
Now I can say that tort reform isn’t the answer because it usually denies people the recourse of suing for something that someone did wrong or neglected to do right.
Mike was neglected. Attorneys in Georgia said we had gounds for a lawsuit. But the value put on his life by tort reform was so low ($350,000), the doctors’ and hospital’s lawyers could easily keep it going long enough so that no one would profit by it but them. The insurance companies have effectively shut down lawsuits with tort reform and they haven’t lowered the rates doctors and hospitals pay.
I don’t want that to happen here in North Carolina, and one legislator who had supported so-called reform has promised to take another look.
I asked another legislator about a bill in the House that would require nonprofits pay no more than 15 percent of their annual buget for administrative costs.
That would kill any new nonprofit. Our budget right now is about $5,000 a year and we pay almost half that in rent for this little office. I would be in violation of the law. Few nonprofits start off with enough money to fill that requirement.
I also reminded a couple of people that I still have their cell phone numers from when I was a reporter, so if they don’t call me back when I have questions now, I can still track them down.
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.
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