Conference mobilizes a push for healthcare reform

IF THE AMERICAN healthcare system is to be reformed, it will take determined action by health professionals who want to organize for change. That was one of the messages shared with healthcare activists who came to AFT Healthcare’s annual professional issues conference April 17-20 in Washington, D.C.

This year’s conference, themed “Code Blue! Saving Our Healthcare System,” was intended to arm AFT Healthcare members with the tools necessary to become activists and organizers in their healthcare facilities, communities and unions.

“When you get back home, take what you’ve learned here and put it into action,” Candice Owley, the chair of the AFT Healthcare program and policy council and an AFT vice president, told conference participants. “Nothing will change unless you take action and do the hard work that makes change possible.”

The conference’s opening session was designed to galvanize members to organize for healthcare reform after the 2008 elections. Heather Booth, the director of the AFL-CIO’s campaign for healthcare reform, encouraged the audience to discuss some of the concerns they have about how healthcare reform would affect them—such as whether they would lose their own access to care or receive a poorer quality of care—and come up with answers to those questions.

Jorge Mancillas, the health and municipal services officer for Public Services International (PSI), believes now is the time to act for healthcare reform. PSI is a global union federation made up of more than 650 trade unions, including AFT Healthcare.

A healthy society depends on strong healthcare systems, and at the heart of that strength are the healthcare workers. However, Mancillas told conference participants, the global shift from public to private service is causing a deterioration of healthcare and putting affordable care out of reach for people who need it most.

The United States spends more than any other country on healthcare, but it rates 72nd when it comes to healthcare outcomes. Mancillas suggested this has to do with the increasing privatization of healthcare services. “You know better than anyone what the for-profit system is doing to patient care.”

Those who are against reform will say that it is about consumer choice versus government control, but that’s not true, he pointed out. In reality, the choice is between corporate control and a public system with accountability. “It’s time to frame the debate about healthcare reform around the notion that healthcare is a human right,” he said.

As with previous AFT Healthcare conferences, this year’s gathering began with a lobby day. The activity gave members a chance to lobby their congressional representatives to   support  healthcare-related legislation.

AFT president Edward J. McElroy commended the member-lobbyists for their efforts. “If we are not willing to talk to people and offer our influence and suggestions, they will be ignorant of our issues. You have to advocate for your issues, for your profession and for the people you care for.”

This year’s conference also included workshops on a wide range of topics, including MRSA: How to Protect Against the “Superbug,” Legal Issues for Healthcare Providers, Bridging Generation Gaps in the Workplace, and New Technology in the Healthcare Workplace.