775NW Members Rally for Health Care Reform

SEIU Healthcare 775NW Members lobbied for health care reform this week in Washington, DC (L-R: Jessica Field, Phil Bradford, Cheryl Johnston Carr, Jim Medlin, Lorene Hart and Jacqueline Yell.
June 25, 2009 -- Jim Medlin, a member of SEIU Healthcare 775NW is fired up after joining more than 10,000 people rallying for health care reform in our nation’s capital yesterday. "If we get this done by the end of this year, I will tattoo our union’s logo to my right arm on January 2."

He was part of a delegation of SEIU Healthcare 775NW members who joined healthcare advocates from across the country fighting for quality, affordable health care. They had a simple message for Congress, “We can’t wait for health care reform.”

Phil Bradford - Catholic Community Services

According to Phil Bradford, a home care worker from Tacoma, two speakers really electrified the crowd at the rally – Howard Dean and SEIU’s Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger.

“The power of getting energized at the rally before going and seeing our Senators was great,” he said.

Jessica Field - Avamere Highlands

For Jessica Field, a nursing home worker at Avamere Highlands in Tacoma, this was her first visit to Washington, DC.
 
“You can feel the power everywhere. You can see people trying to change our world.” Jessica knows that there is a lot of support for health care reform throughout the country. She did the math.

“We’re just six members representing 37,000 thousand long-term care workers in Washington and Montana. If there were 10,000 to 15,000 thousand people at the rally in DC, and if each delegation represents a much larger group – like we did – the number of people who support this at home must be staggering!”

Jim Medlin - Avamere Georgian House
Jim, a nursing home worker at Avamere Georgian House in Tacoma, is looking forward to better equipment, higher reimbursement rates and better wages.

“When I get home, I’m going to tell everyone I know, ‘You need to tell your friends and family to get on the phone and send emails to Congress.’”

Access to quality, affordable health care is essential to nursing home workers like Jim. Less than 5% of nursing home workers currently have health insurance.

The rest of our members were one step ahead of him. While Jim and the rest of the delegation was in DC, SEIU Healthcare 777NW members delivered letters to Senator Maria Cantwell and Senator Patty Murray offices around the state, made phone calls and sent them emails.

This is just the beginning of our fight to win Health Care Reform in ’09. This is just the beginning of Health Care Summer.

SEIU Healthcare 775NW Delegation to the Health Care Rally in Washington, DC

Phil Bradford, Home Care Worker for Catholic Community Services
Cheryl Johnston Carr, Home Care Worker for Chesterfield and an IP for the State of Washington
Jessica Field, Nursing Home Worker at Avamere Highlands
Lorene Hart, Nursing Home Worker at Eagle Grandview
Jim Medlin, Nursing Home Worker at Avamere Georgian House
Jacqueline Yell, Nursing Home Worker at Eagle Clarkston

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