Aldora's Letter in Post-Gazette re Braddock

Grow Braddock

UPMC will quit admitting patients to Braddock hospital shortly. But it is time to grow in Braddock, not go from Braddock.

Does UPMC not know that this is a community on its way back up? Its citizens have fought and won the battle to keep the first Carnegie Library open, have planted urban community gardens, and a new green industry has just announced plans to locate in Braddock.

This hospital serves the greater Monongahala Valley, is one mile from The Waterfront, across the river from Kennywood, and has plenty of real estate available for expansion.

Why has UPMC underfunded needed services and then systematically and egregiously eliminated or relocated these services in crowded and distant locations?

Does UPMC not know that public transportation is poor-to-none and its parking garages are expensive? Has any UPMC executive ever used public transportation to get to one of its facilities and know how much time and effort it takes?

Does UPMC not know that there is more to health care than provision? Health care is teaching from the cradle to the grave. Has UPMC forgotten the first rule in medicine is do no harm?

UPMC should be called to account for the harm it is doing to these communities and expand Braddock hospital and its services.

ALDORA T. WATT
Regent Square

'Zombies' Protest Closing of UPMC-Braddock

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Zombies in movie makeup, pushing hospital IV stands and portraying what they said will be the results of corporate greed that caused UPMC to suck the life out of Braddock by closing the hospital there, marched on the nonprofit's Downtown corporate headquarters at noon today.

"I couldn't make it to a hospital in time because UPMC is closing Braddock," Emily Gorda, 29, of Braddock, one of the zombies in crusty gray makeup and a backless hospital gown, said explaining the symbolism during the march from the Greyhound Bus Terminal to the U.S. Steel Tower on Grant Street. "Our community is on life support. UPMC should be ashamed."

When the dozen zombie marchers reached the front of the skyscraper -- which houses UPMC offices -- their ranks swelled to about 40 protesters who held a mock UPMC board meeting on the sidewalk.

Filmmaker and Braddock resident Tony Buba, who worked on George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" and "Dawn of the Dead" horror movies, said the demonstrators were trying to draw attention not only to the closing of Braddock Hospital, scheduled for Jan. 31, but also the need for health care coverage and the closing of community hospitals, especially in poor and minority communities.
This story continues at www.post-gazette.com/pg/09352/1021997-100.stm

For more on efforts in support of Braddock, see www.savebraddock.com

Highlights from December Meeting

The peacemaking overture to General Assembly for which 6th was a cosponsor was passed at the Pittsburgh Presbytery level.... The panel discussion held at the seminary on the role of faith in our stance on the death penalty drew a small but interested audience..... CROP Walk contributions increased by 10+% from last year....The Neighborhood Academy has been nominated for a Peace Partner Award through the Center for Victims of Violent Crimes.... Concerned action and awareness on the situation in Braddock/closing of the UPMC hospital there goes on (the Tribune-Review has been a good partner in keeping this in front of the public eye)....Next lunch at the Neighborhood Academy is February 4th....Volunteers at Global Links are having *fun* while doing good! -- and the high level of participation has earned 'points' that may enable 6th to send medical packets to Nicaragua as part of our developing relationship with the community of El Porvenir....The Committee is interested in learning more about anti-sweatshop legislation; the law was initially introduced as the Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act..... The June 2010 mission trip will be an exciting and challenging opportunity for adults at Sixth!

Norma & Jack Rally for Braddock

Undaunted by rain, Norma and Jack protest plans to close UPMC-Braddock.

For more on the community's efforts to ensure that health care is available, see:

Braddock Hospital's Closure Protested;

and

Braddock Residents Look Into Suing UPMC .

Support Rally for UPMC Braddock

Norma and Jack F. are staying on top of the community efforts to save the UPMC Braddock facility for healthcare in that community. A rally is planned for Thursday afternoon of this week (November 19th).

Save Our Community Hospitals

SAVE UPMC BRADDOCK

RALLY
TO SAVE OUR HOSPITAL
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2009 at 2PM

Fifth St. & Braddock Ave.

Braddock, PA

Have a Few Minutes? Speak Up!

Speaking of how we spend our time.... Nora writes that she is increasingly frustrated by the wimpiness of our elected officials in terms of tackling head-on the challenging but not impossible task of health care/insurance reform, especially in the face of hollering crowds.

Have two minutes? Read Nora's letter, below, which she has sent to her senators and congressman via email. I've included both her 'call to action' (addressed to all those who care about this issue) and her letter.

Have five minutes? Send an email to YOUR senators/representatives! Nora won't mind if you want to crib some from hers! You can find the email address for your senator (most of you reading this are probably represented by Casey and Specter) at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm and the address for your representative at https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml.

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Hi, friends -

Our federal elected representatives have gone home for the summer without enacting health insurance reform. Worse, it's questionable whether or not they'll ever be able to break through the ties of money and influence that bind them. I sat around all last week stewing helplessly about this. This morning, as the weather threatens to stew us all in fact, I pulled myself together, and e-mailed and called Senators Specter and Casey and Congressman Doyle. My letter follows to show that I really did get in touch with them. I

If you're contacting them as well, do let me know. I'm finding it very discouraging that the legislation under discussion so far has moved far from anything that might make a difference to all the un- and underinsured in this country or to the high costs of health care, and that the mindless yelling of bought-off crowds seems to be so influential. It's hard to be enthusiastic about what's being proposed at this point. So I'd like to hear if others of you, just to get a sense of a common interest. Thanks so much!

Nora

Dear Sen/Rep:

Please work to get us real health insurance reform. So far, it doesn't look good. It looks like the vested interests, namely big health insurance and big pharma, are having their way. They're bankrolling mob pressure against any meaningful change, and they've got the "Gang of Six", led by Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, batting around in their wet paper bag unable to do anything at all.

In fact, I heard Sen. Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Committee, say: "We've got a good health care system." What? What country is Senator Grassley living in? Canada maybe, where they do have a good health care system? Meanwhile, Kent Conrad, a Democrat on Sen. Baucus' committee, is proposing a health care co-op system. Please.

What we need is a system that will serve everyone and will save money in the long run. Single-payer health care does that. Why not work vigorously to educate your constituency about the facts of single-payer? There has not been enough information because everyone is so frightened of what the well-funded noise machine will do. Please break out of the mold and bring us a real solution to our overpriced, ineffective, and corrupt health care system.

Thank you very much.

Support for Healthcare Reform

At the 218th meeting of General Assembly (June 2008), Presbyterians adopted a recommendation supporting national health care reform, calling for advocacy and education that pursues “the goal of obtaining legislation that enacts single-payer, universal national health insurance as the program that best responds to the moral imperative of the gospel.”

As part of that work toward advocacy and education, Sixth Church is a proud sponsor of Healthcare: Human Right and Moral Imperative, a regional conference organized by the Western PA Coalition for Single Payer Healthcare. The conference will be held on Sunday, June 14th, from 1 PM till 5 PM at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in East Liberty/Highland Park.

The conference is free; a light lunch will be served at 1:00, with the program beginning at 2:00. This is one of ten regional conferences around the country being supported by the Presbyterian Church USA. More information and online registration are available at http://www.wpasinglepayer.org/ConferenceAnnouncement.html .

Make A Joyful Noise!

The East Liberty Family Health Care Center is honoring Janet Edwards and 24 other people at a gala on Sunday, May 17th, at Joyful Noise 2009. The event will feature Aaron Copland's 'Fanfare for the Common Man' and proceeds will benefit the East Liberty Family Health Care Center, which offers a Christian ministry of whole-person healthcare.

Tickets are $75 per person or donations are accepted.

Where: Westin Convention Center Hotel (1000 Penn Avenue/Pittsburgh 15219)
When: Sunday, May 17th, from 4 PM to 7 PM

Registration and Online Invitation at:

https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/EastLibertyFamilyHCC/OnlineRegistration.html