Calling all those concerned about the state of health in this country! Activists from the DMV area will come together for a crucial panel discussion on structural violence (preventable violence or harm resulting from human generated institutions) and health care. The panel will include:
-Margaret Flowers, MD: former practicing physician, co-founder of Popular Resistance, co-founder of the Health Over Profit for Everyone (HOPE) campaign
-Kevin Zeese, JD: former attorney, former campaign advisor for Ralph Nader and Jill Stein, co-founder of Popular Resistance, co-founder of the Health Over Profit (HOPE) campaign
-Michael S. Irwig, MD, FACE: Associate Professor of Medicine & Director, Center for Andrology, George Washington University
-Russell Mokhiber: editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime Reporter, founder of SinglePayerAction.org and editor of the website Morgan County USA
+More to come!
In today’s climate there is increasing debate around how to structure a “healthcare system” that benefits the health of the greatest number. The ACA vs the AHCA vs. Medicare for All proposals; the debate over how to structure our healthcare system continues often in a very surface level form of debate. What continues to be missing is a discussion of how each of these systems either address or plan to address the various forms of structural violence referenced above. Additionally, during the debate over healthcare the conversation often becomes so focused on the healthcare system itself, that little attention is put towards discussion and understanding how these forms of structural violence interact to expedite the deterioration of individual and community health. Health Care Revolution (HCR) is a new group of progressive minded students in Washington, DC working to address this shortsightedness seen in our current system. This even will bring together activists from around the DMV area to come together to discuss the following:
1. Their thoughts on the current healthcare system and its effectiveness (or lack thereof) in addressing health. What changes if, any must be made to create a more effective system.
2. The specific work they have been involved in and how they see themselves or their organization(s) contributing toward addressing the “health” of the communities they serve.
3. How they believe students and activists can take part in creating a more just world that benefits the health of all that inhabit it.
We hope as many active local groups as possible can attend. Anyone interested in participating in this important discussion is welcome and encouraged to spread the word!
Let us know if you are coming below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/health-c...
About Health Care Revolution (HCR):
Today the conversation around “health” tends to focus on the biologic aspects of disease. In the US, the “healthcare system” and “healthcare professionals” are often identified as the actors designated to ensure the health of our individuals and communities. Those inside the “healthcare system” can often consume themselves with learning about anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology—the human body, what can go wrong, and how to fix it. Larger societal structures are recognized as influences on the health of the People, but are often only appreciated as “upstream factors” that are out of our realm of influence. This leaves a healthcare system that has been woefully inadequate in addressing the needs of the population.
The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published an investigation on income and mortality in the United States, which found that the gap in life expectancy between the richest 1% and poorest 1% of individuals was 14.6 years for men and 10.1 years for women. Millions of people don’t have access to proper healthcare, and thousands of others face financial ruin because of medical costs or simply die of preventable diseases. Despite spending more on healthcare than every other nation, the U.S. has a worse average life expectancy than nearly every other industrialized country in the world.
The purpose of HealthCare Revolution is to deepen the discussion around what truly determines health to help change the paradigm of healthcare inadequacy that permeates our society. This involves structural racism and oppression that contribute to the fact that African Americans are 2.5 times more like to die during pregnancy or 8 times as likely to die from HIV than non-Hispanic whites. It involves communities, workplaces, and health insurance institutions ostracizing members of the the LGBTQ community which leads to substandard care. It involves a profit-driven economic system that continues to concentrate wealth in the hands of a few, while ignoring the environment and threatening the clean water of Flint, MI, Standing Rock, and other communities. In a culture where the news cycle is only as long as a tweet, it involves the mass media and how it informs, or misinforms, the People on discussions our crucial topics that affect the health of individuals and society. HCR focuses on these issues, often termed forms of “structural violence,” specifically because they are ultimately what affects the health and well being of populations on the largest level. Ultimately we must discuss the best means to address these factors if we would like to see improvements for a majority of the population.
For more information on the Health Care Revolution, please visit our website at www.thehealthcarerevolution.org
