We hope thousands will join us to demand real healthcare reform. Single payer, Medicare for All--guaranteed and affordable healthcare for all Americans.
So how do ordinary Americans, fed up with the awful status quo, organize a march like this? A lot of work.
We began with a Healthcare for the 99% - Occupy Wall Street Working Group. This is how we stay in constant communication.
This is our Occupy Wall Street Logo, and when you go to the Occupy Wall Street General Assembly web site, this is the link you click, to join us.
Before I go any further, a huge shout out to the heroes at OccupyWallStreet, the web designers for the phenomenal General Assembly web site which went live a day or so ago. This web site which I understand is a brilliant combination of Word Press and Buddy Press makes organizing much more efficient.
When you're organizing an event, you want to be good OWS community citizens, so you make every effort to schedule your march for a date and time that won't conflict with other VIM (very important marches).
The Verizon workers are holding a march on Friday, October 21st which I plan on attending, so we rescheduled the healthcare march, originally scheduled for October 21, the same day and time as Verizon, to next Wednesday, October 26th from 3-7PM. We're supporting the Verizon march and we hope, they may ask their membership to support us.
We communicate via emails and our Google Group. And some spend a huge amount of time at Zuccotti Park, attending the GA, letting others know about us and our plans. This is an essential part of the organizing process.
These are some of our recent messages from the Google Group.
Could someone put up healthcare for the 99 decal on Photobucket
By nyceve (Eve Gittelson) - 6:03am - 1 author - 0 replies
Ows healthcare 5:30 meeting reconvening at 60 Wall St Atrium
By Healthcare for the 99% Occupy Wall Street Working Group - Oct 19 - 4 authors - 4 replies
Fwd: NYC Friday Evening: Huge Verizon #Occupy March
By Annie Tummino - Oct 19 - 1 author - 0 replies
Fwd: Community Board #2 Vote Tomorrow Night on St. Vincent's/Rudin Plan
By Healthcare for the 99% Occupy Wall Street Working Group - Oct 19 - 1 author - 0 replies
Fwd: Update on St. Vincent's Hospital
By Healthcare for the 99% Occupy Wall Street Working Group - Oct 19 - 1 author - 0 replies
Someone needs to remove 10/21 march from OWS web site
By Justin Goodemoot - Oct 19 - 6 authors - 7 replies
Help Healthcare for the 99% Connect with Other Working Groups at OWS
By nyceve (Eve Gittelson) - Oct 19 - 4 authors - 3 replies
Reschedule but not to next fri
By Laurie Wen, PNHP NY Metro - Oct 18 - 7 authors - 12 replies
FW: For Immediate Release : St. Vincent's Mass Civilian Trauma Exercise - YouTube Video Links
By Louis Flores - Oct 18 - 1 author - 0 replies
change but not to Fri Oct 28
By -Dr. Steve B. - Oct 17 - 1 author - 0 replies
Last night, two of our intrepid organizers, Katie and someone we know and love from Daily Kos, DrSteveB, presented our march to the General Assembly. Then it went to the Direct Action group, which approved our plans.
This was the approval we were all hoping to receive! We got approved by direct action. Bingo, we're now cooking with gas!
Sent: Wed, Oct 19, 2011 20:00:05 GMT+00:00
Subject: Direct Action has consented for our march wed oct 26 3-7pmKatie and Steve just presented at OWS Direct Action workgroup. Pending further discussion at our Healthcare workgroup tonight at 5:30pm: We have their consensus for our march to be on Wednesday Oct 26 3pm-7pm; so far as we know no other conflicts. After our 5:30pm need to present at GA.
Draft plan as previously discussed: meet at Zpark 3pm-4pm, then ~4pm go around Wellpoint @ 1 Liberty; ~5pm to Wellcare (so folks who cannot make it until after 5pm can meet there); then 6pm to St Vincents.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone
There's a ton of emails exchanged every day. And another huge shout out to Katie Robbins, a great OWS hero, who is tireless in figuring her way around the OWS decision making process and making our 10/26 march a major success. Based on her emails, it seems that Katie has literally set up shop there.
Greetings!
>
> I just want to share with folks a little bit about my experience today
> trying to navigate the other working groups at OWS.
>
> Connecting with other working groups should be a priority for Healthcare
> for the 99% to be able to raise visibility and support OWS' broader vision.
> At this point, face to face meetings are the primary way of connecting with
> these groups.
>
> Below is a list of the working groups we should try to make connections
> with and the times that they are meeting. If you have connections with> these working groups, and can help be a liason between Healthcare for the
> 99%, please post your name and contact info on **this google doc
> .
> *
> *
> *Be prepared for details to change quickly, and it is always a good idea> to check in at the INFO desk a few minutes before the meeting to make sure
> there aren't any last minute changes to the meeting time and place. *Many> people have busy schedules, so please only volunteer as much as you are
> comfortable.
>
> Tomorrow, I am available to attend the 9am working group coordination
> meeting, and the 2pm Direct Action meeting, and of course the 5:30pm
> Healthcare for the 99% working group meeting at the big red sticks at ZPark.
>
>
> FYI - I attended the INFO working group meeting from 6pm - 8pm. They
> announced that a new website will be launched soon that allows us to update
> our own working group schedule which will be great, and all of our current
> challenges in getting our events posted will be alleviated. Meir and I
> volunteered to help with data entry/admin/info desk shifts at Zuccoti Park.
> If you want to help, they said just show up at the INFO desk when you have
> time.
>
> Peace and health,
>
> Katie Robbins
> Healthcare for the 99% Working Group
Here's the schedule for the big important day.
Here's where we'll be marching. NYPD take note, we will be peaceful, obey all the laws, stay on the sidewalk, and expect the NYPD, to be respectful of our constitutional rights to assemble and speak out. I believe, if we have enough people, the plan is to peacefully encircle Murder By Spreadsheet insurer Blue Cross. We're lucky that BCBS is right across the street from Zuccotti park.
After we finish at BCBS, we'll head to the killing machine Wellpoint. We'll encircle Wellpoint. Then we'll end up at St. Vincent's which was forced to file for bankruptcy, a victim of our for-profit healthcare system.
March Details:
4:30pm– Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield / One Liberty Plaza: located across the street from Zuccotti park, Empire is a subsidiary of WellPoint, the largest publicly-traded health insurance company. CEO Angela Braley’s overall compensation is $13.1 million dollars, enough to cover 1455 New Yorkers.5:30pm– WellCare / 110 5th Ave: the for-profit company that administers Medicaid and Medicare Advantage programs in New York and other states. Currently being investigated for fraud with estimates that WellCare illegally siphoned $400 million to $600 million from state health insurance programs for the poor. (1)
6pm– St Vincent’s Community Hospital / 12th St & 7th Ave: closed earlier this year due to bankruptcy, St Vincent’s is a casualty of profit-driven insurers and a healthcare system that leaves 50 million Americans uninsured. There are now no hospitals on the westside below 57th st.
I hope we will have thousands, I'll be updating you periodically as the date draws near. Please join us.