Back to the fight
OK, I had my pity day over the Gov. Walker’s win in Wisconsin. It seems the monied interests can spend their way into getting what they want. And I know they want to dismantle what’s been accomplished in health care.
So, I’m ready for the fight to keep what we have — and to build on it.
I don’t know what the Supreme Court will do, but I’m ready for whatever happens.
If the court strikes down the entire law, we’ll start organizing rallies and other events again to educate people about what needs to be done and why. We’ll tell the stories of people who have been helped by the Affordable Care Act already and what they will lose if the law goes away.
If the court strikes down the individual mandate, that likely will do in the rules that insurance companies have to cover pre-existing conditions and at no greater cost to the consumer. You really can’t do that unless everyone is in the pool, so we will push for a public option (let me buy into Medicare).
If the court leaves the law alone, we have to educate people about what’s in the law and what still needs to be done to give everyone access to appropriate health care because even once the law is fully implemented, some 20 million Americans will be without health insurance.
So, no matter what happens, we health care advocates have our work cut out for us. We have to show people that the poor don’t choose to be that way; they are not lazy and they do deserve our care and help. We have to prove that helping people with a hand up works for everyone. People who get appropriate health care cost a lot less than people whose mental illnesses or other chronic conditions are allowed to fester until they reach a crisis point.
Of course, crisis care is far more expensive than chronic illness management — in other words, more profitable for the big money folks who are paying f0r the election of people who will cater to their interests and not yours.
I spent an hour on the phone with fellow advocate Crystal Roberts yesterday, talking about what we do in each case. We’ll organize information events to educate the public in any event; we will push for that public option.
We will tell the stories of people who have died for lack of care and the stories of people whose lives have been saved by the law. We will fight to get the truth out to people in spite of the misinformation being spread by the opponents of health reform.
We’re all proceeding with the assumption that the court will uphold the Affordable Care Act, but it doesn’t hurt to plan for the alternative.
Tags: 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.
Life o’ Mike honors Joe Eblen
Life o' Mike presented its first Michael T. Danforth Community Service Award to Joe Eblen at a luncheon on June 8, in the Friendship Hall of First Congregational Church, 20 Oak St., Asheville.
Joe, seen here with Leslie Boyd, left, and his wife, Bobbie, has spent his life helping children and families, both as a coach and game official for more than 60 years, and as founder of Eblen Charities.
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.