Engage Her: Activating Women and MultiCultural Communities

Patients please beware!
Lately I have been getting a lot of patients coming in and requesting medications to help them sleep – the number of people coming in wanting this was not very large, but noticeable.  I prescribed the medication until one day I got a letter from the NY State Department of Health warning me about a patient to whom I had prescribed the medication to several months before – she had been going to several physicians in the area and getting prescriptions for the same medication from all of them – me included.  The authorities suspected that she either had an addiction problem or was getting the medication so that she could later on re-sell it. That is what I believe is known as diversion – a term used by the US Drug Enforcement Agency to describe this illegal activity.  The State Authorities were advising me to be on the lookout for her – sure enough a few days later she came into the clinic and again requested the medication.  I showed her a copy of the letter that the State Health Department sent to me and told her that they were watching not only her but me as well, so there will not be any more prescriptions for that medication being written for her by me anymore.  I even gave her a copy of the letter so that she would have proof – and she left very annoyed.  Drug abuse is not something that involves heroin, cocaine,  and other known drugs – there are medications that some feel are no big deal but can lead to a big addiction problem.  I try to explain to many of the people who come to the clinic that this stuff can either put them in misery or kill them, and that they do not have the money for the fancy rehab clinics that the celebrities can check into from time to time.  I get yelled at by some, ignored by many others, yet a few take my advice.  For your own protection, do not get into the “I need a pill for everything” mentality – that will certainly put you on the path to addiction, which is very difficult to get away from.  Protect your own life – addiction is worse than slavery – as you become your own worst enemy.

Dear members and readers: We received the following email regarding a National Call to Action Day for tomorrow Tuesday October 30 to support real healthcare reform. The Women of Color United for Health Reform which is a very important collaboration of key multicultural women’s organizations are asking us all to take action and let our Congressional Representatives and Senators know that we need affordable healthcare now. Please read below and join us in taking personal responsibility and action tomorrow. Then let us know how you felt about it and what else we can do to continue to make our voices heard and demand change.

Dear Friend,

Last week, Women of Color United for Health Reform – a collaboration by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, and the Black Women’s Health Imperative – convened a national phone call with two senior White House officials. (If you missed it, you can hear a recording of the call here:“> We heard a lot of facts: that women of color play critical roles both in the U.S. workforce and as health care decision makers, but we are greatly underserved by today’s health care delivery system.

As women of color, we know and live this reality. Now, it’s our turn to make the call.

On October 27, Women of Color United for Health Reform is hosting a National Call-In Day in support of real health reform. Take action and join the call!

1. On October 27, dial 877-264-4226. Many thanks to our friends at Health Care for American NOW! for letting us use this service.

2. Ask the operator to connect you to your Senator or Representative and give the operator your zip code. Once the operator connects you to your Representative/Senator’s office, a staffer in the office will answer the call.

3. Say:

My name is _____ ________, and I am calling today to ask you to support health reform.

I work hard, and I deserve a national health care system that works hard for me. As a woman of color, I see first-hand how the current system is failing. More people in my community are likely to be uninsured or under-insured. We also have a higher rate of chronic or pre-existing conditions, and spend a greater percentage of our income on health care than others.

This country should have a health care system that ensures everybody can access affordable, quality, culturally appropriate care over the course of their lifespan.

[If you would like, insert your own story!]

Please pass a health reform bill that will work for women of color.
Thank you for your time.

4. Repeat. You have two Senators and one Representative representing you in Congress. If you can, call three times to leave this message with all three of your federal elected officials.

To learn more about Women of Color United for Health Reform and what we believe should be included in Congress’ health reform bill, click here.

Too often, the debate about the state of Americans’ health focuses exclusively on lifestyle choices and individual decisions. We know that is only part of the story. Increasingly, neighborhoods, schools and workplaces limit access to healthy food and physical exercise. Yet, we are beginning to see that multi-sector collaboration is creating healthier environments.

Over the past three years, Kaiser Permanente has worked with our community partners on a project called Photovoice (http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter/inthecommunity/2009/062609photovoice.html). Through Photovoice, residents are learning the basics of photojournalism and advocacy to create stories to promote social change. We have now released a video that showcases some of their amazing work and how it has resulted in important changes in their communities.

As the community voices highlighted in the Photovoice video show, the infrastructure in our communities too often impedes what used to be a simple way for children to exercise – walking or biking to school. Each of us has the power to drive awareness and action around creating safe places for kids to play and go to school, and encourage walking and biking to reduce childhood obesity rates.

Today is International Walk to School Day. I hope you took part in some way. If you joined in, please take a few moments to share your thoughts or pictures about the day here on this Safe Routes to School events page (http://www.facebook.com/kpthrive#/event.php?eid=160358436201&ref=mf).

As the Health Care reform debate is heating up, it’s important to know that the debate and battle is far from over. Despite the media reporting on various opinions on who’s winning and losing, the point is that the need and battle for health care reform is far from over. It’s important for the citizens and taxpayers of our country to speak up and talk to their national legislators who represent them to let them know how they feel. Your legislators need to hear about your plight and how you want them to represent you.

This is the best time for citizen advocacy to be brought to new generations of citizens and multicultural communities who may not have participated in the past.