CIR Residents Deliver Reform Message Locally And Nationally
CIR Members Joined Other Physicians to Rally for Health Care Reform Outside San Francisco City Hall
Northern California CIR leaders have been front and center in the health care reform fight for months, and even more so over the past few weeks.
As Congress returned to Washington after the summer recess, CIR joined with Health Care for America Now! at two major rallies. CIR Executive Vice President Dr.Nailah Thompson was a featured speaker at a September 2 rally at San Francisco City Hall. Behind her, the white coats of CIR members filled the stage. On September 22, Highland Hospital Emergency Medicine resident Dr. Allison Mulcahy spoke at a rally at the Embarcadero Center.
“Quality care should not depend on your financial resources, the type of job you have, or the medical condition you face,” Dr. Mulcahy told a spirited crowd. “Our current health care system is severely broken, and our members of CIR believe it must be fixed.”
On October 5, Drs. Melanie Watts and Allison Mulcahy joined hundreds of physicians and medical students in Washington, D.C. for a White Coat Lobby Day. They arrived in Washington at a critical time. The Senate Finance Committee was in the midst of hammering out its version of the health care bill. On that very same day, President Obama hosted 150 physicians from all 50 states and rallied them to support comprehensive reform to the nation’s health care system.
The two Highland Hospital Emergency Medicine residents were among 20 CIR doctors from California, New York, Florida and Massachusetts, and dozens of activists from other physician organizations, who made the trip to the Capitol.
“I think it’s important for the public as a whole to recognize that doctors are on board with a public option,” said Dr. Mulcahy. “I think thus far in the health care debate, physicians have been somewhat quiet. It’s important for people to realize that we too really strongly believe in the public option and in health care reform in general.”
The participants began the day at Union Station, where a “National Grand Rounds,” organized by AMSA and the National Physicians Alliance, brought doctors and medical students up to date on the latest health care reform developments.
After that, the CIR members split up to visit the offices of their senators and representatives. They shared stories of the patients they see day-to-day who are suffering because of our dysfunctional health care system.
“We met with our California representatives and Senators: Feinstein, Boxer and Lee, all of whom were quite on board with our message and were strong supporters of the public option,” said Dr. Watts. “We also snuck in some quick visits with other states that we had previously lived in: Tennessee, Wyoming, and Nevada as well.”
At each visit, the group left behind a poster stating that “Half a million doctors support health care reform” and listing the numerous doctors’ organizations that have endorsed reform.