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Life Arts    H4'ed 8/4/10

What Free Health Care Looks Like - Sort of

Message Diane Perlman

On August 4, 2010, on President Obama's birthday, 1200 uninsured people received a gift. Well actually, it should not have been a gift, but a right to health care. Sadly, 500 people were turned away. Many made appointments in advance, and a certain number of walk-ins could be seen until the DC Convention Center was overbooked. 1100 volunteers including doctors, nurses, and those wore red Volunteer or blue Captain T-shirts.

There are 50 million uninsured people in our country. Many who came had lost their jobs. People were given EKGs, tests for blood sugar, cholesterol, hemoglobin, HIV AIDS, urine tests, eye exams, breast cancer and more, and many were offered free follow-up appointments.

Volunteers said hat the people were very appreciative.

People waited up to three hours to go into the clinic room.
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Volunteers waiting to do intake with new group at patients, who were given a number.



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People coming down in groups of ten, after hours of waiting, were cheered by volunteers.



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Supplies

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Linda, a volunteer who escorted me through the clinic. She has a business with her husband and volunteers in order to give back to the community.

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On the way out, there were tables of people with information about health care.

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WIC women, infants and children


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This is the volunteer lounge, with healthy, whole-grain vegetable sandwiches, fruit and snacks - relatively healthy.



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Visiting Scholar Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution George Mason University

Diane Perlman is a clinical and political psychologist, devoted to applying knowledge from psychology, conflict studies and social sciences to designing strategies and policies to reverse nuclear proliferation, to drastically reduce (more...)
 

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