Cover the Unisured Week: Conference Call

Posted by on December 6, 2002

Dear CCPH members,

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collaboration with a wide range of national organizations has announced Cover the Uninsured Week. This unprecedented weeklong series of national and local activities will take place from Monday, March 10, through Sunday, March 16, 2003 in an effort to sensitize the public and opinion leaders to the plight of the more than 41 million Americans who lack health insurance.

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health and Covering the Uninsured Week staff are hosting a 90-minute conference call on December 11 at 10 am pacific time (1 pm eastern time) so that you can learn more about the initiative and explore ways you can participate. Attached are several documents prepared by Covering the Uninsured staff: a fact sheet and a description of possible campus-related activities. (Although the description does not list all health professions by name, the goal is to involve the full range of health professions in this initiative)

Some background information on Covering the Uninsured Week and the December 11 conference call appear below. If you are planning to dial-in, PLEASE RSVP BY MONDAY DECEMBER 9 SO WE CAN RESERVE THE RIGHT NUMBER OF PHONE LINES! Please RSVP to Annika Robbins at annikalr@u.washington.edu and not to this listserv.

The goals of Cover the Uninsured Week are to:
*Raise public awareness of the plight of more than 41 million uninsured Americans
*Demonstrate broad support for action on the issue
*Generate significant media attention to the issue, both nationally and in key communities across the country
*Encourage other national organizations to join The Robert Wood Johnson
*Foundation and 15 partner organizations in an effort to increase attention to the issue
*Create a single rallying point for groups and individuals working to extend health care coverage to the uninsured

Cover the Uninsured Week will launch with a national event in Washington, D.C., followed by a week of events in communities across the country. Each event will highlight different constituenciesincluding business and labor organizations, health care providers, health and medical education groups, religious leaders, consumer groups, the arts and entertainment industry, and advocacy organizations and their unique perspectives and roles in relation to the problems facing Americans who do not have health insurance.

The following are the activities being proposed for the days that comprise Cover the Uninsured Week.

Monday: Cover the Uninsured Week Town Hall Meetings. Cover the Uninsured Week will launch on Monday, March 10, with the issuance of a proclamation by a local or state elected official at a community-wide town hall meeting. The proclamation signing will be followed by a town hall meeting that will bring together in one place local, state and federal elected officials; representatives from local Cover the Uninsured Week organizations; the uninsured; the public; and the media to talk about the issue of the uninsured. This event will serve as a platform for highlighting the national Cover the Uninsured Week effort and announcing this weeks local activities to the media and the general public.

Tuesday: Cover the Uninsured Week On Campus. Health professional schools will conduct large, school-wide teaching events about the plight of the uninsured and will present discussions of various ways to expand health coverage.

Wednesday: Cover the Uninsured Week Health Fairs. Physicians, nurses, hospitals, community health centers, dentists and clinics will provide free health screenings and services, and enrollment for eligible uninsured families and children into public health coverage programs such as SCHIP and Medicaid. Activities will take place throughout the day to accommodate the schedules of working families.

Thursday: Cover the Uninsured Week Business & Labor. Local leaders from business and labor organizations will gather together to highlight the joint interest of business and labor in making certain that all Americans have access to affordable health coverage. Presentations to business associations and labor groups will highlight the common interest of these constituencies in solving the problem of the uninsured, while allowing each to showcase their respective approaches.

Friday-Sunday: Cover the Uninsured Week Interfaith Events. Friday morning interfaith prayer breakfasts for religious leaders will be organized. In addition, individual faith leaders in specific congregations will encourage their congregants to reflect and act on the moral imperative to help the uninsured. In many involved communities, weekend services will focus on the plight of the uninsured and conclude the activities of the week.

For more information, visit http://coveringtheuninsured.org/week/

Details about the call:
Wednesday, December 11th at 10:00 a.m. pacific time ( 1 pm eastern time)
Dial In Instructions
Call: (888) 895-4286
Participant Password: 613104

Agenda for the Call:

I. Welcome/Introductions/Goals of the Call

II. Overview of Covering the Uninsured Campaign
1. Background of campaign
2. Campaign Update
3. Overview of the week itself

III. Campus-related activities
1. Overview and Update
2. Suggested activities
3. Available resources

IV. How CCPH members can participate

V. Q & A