Altoona “OUT TO LUNCH AND OUT OF TOUCH!” action

The Altoona Healthcare Rights Committee held  a rally outside the office of Representative John Joyce (R-13) to protest the failure of Congress to pass a COVID-19 relief bill before taking recess until September.

Altoona residents and speakers addressed the crisis of unemployment and evictions sweeping Pennsylvania due to the pandemic, and held elected officials accountable for their decision to return to the district rather than stay in Washington and legislate.

“Unemployment is up, the rent is due, and evictions are hurting families and causing widespread economic devastation in our district. Poor and working class families in Altoona can’t wait another month for Congress to take action. Now is not the time to be ‘out to lunch and out of touch’, ” said Jennina Gorman, Altoona Healthcare Rights Committee coordinator.

Healthcare worker and PPF-PA member Monique also spoke at the rally. “On an average day before COVID-19 hit the US, I would admit one person to the ICU in a diabetic crisis because they could not afford their insulin or someone who had to be admitted to the hospital for their uncontrolled asthma because they tried to stretch out their one inhaler since they could only afford one every few months,” she said.

“Now, I see my patients who have already stretched their incomes and health thin due to conditions of poverty losing their healthcare coverage at such a crucial time and suffering not only from the typical illnesses that occurred prior to this pandemic, but also suffering a higher rate of contracting COVID-19 and subsequently suffering higher death rates from this disease than their richer counterparts,” she said.

The action received coverage from WTAJ, which you can watch here.

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Here are PPF-PA member Monique’s full remarks:

I have had the privilege of being a front line healthcare worker during this COVID-19 pandemic. This public healthcare crisis has illuminated the many shortcomings of our current for-profit healthcare system .

On an average day before COVID-19 hit the US, I would admit one person to the ICU in a diabetic crisis because they could not afford their insulin or someone who had to be admitted to the hospital for their uncontrolled asthma because they tried to stretch out their one inhaler since they could only afford one every few months. Now, I see my patients who have already stretched their incomes and health thin due to conditions of poverty losing their healthcare coverage at such a crucial time and suffering not only from the typical illnesses that occurred prior to this pandemic, but also suffering a higher rate of contracting COVID-19 and subsequently suffering higher death rates from this disease than their richer counterparts.

I have also seen and heard of fellow healthcare workers across the country affected and even killed by this horrible disease – respiratory techs, environmental services, lab technicians, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and all else who make up a multidisciplinary healthcare team. These people have whether enthusiastically or not, put themselves at risk to provide care in a scary time where the science is still evolving and treatments change every day, only to have compensation cut, be provided with scant or inappropriately used PPE, or even in some cases terminated for speaking out against the injustices of our current system. I worked in a neighboring state earlier in the pandemic, where I was permitted just one n95 to wear for an entire week where I may work up to 7 12 hour shifts and see >100 people in that time. N95s are made for single use, to be thrown away after each patient encounter.

I know that in a pandemic, the use of PPE may change and certain concessions and adjustments must be made, but I believe the PPE shortage and lack of government response and assistance in this crisis has led to much unnecessary death and suffering for healthcare workers and patients alike. And to have our political figures downplay our suffering and profiteers making all-time high profits during this devastating crisis is dehumanizing and insulting. Similarly, to have our representatives go on vacation while we are waiting day by day to see whether this will be the day when we are forced to face hunger or homelessness for reasons outside of our control, is completely unacceptable.

I’ll leave you with this – this country actually already seems to recognize access to emergency medical treatment as a right – I say this because of EMTALA, which is a federal law that was passed in 1986 that states that any hospital or entity that participates in Medicare (and there are very few who don’t) must provide a medical screening exam and emergency treatment including necessary stabilization and transfer to a higher level of care hospital if needed regardless of that person’s insurance status or ability to pay. This means that our federal government has already said emergency medical treatment is a right that is given to all peoples, so now is the time to extend that to recognize healthcare as a human right and to provide Medicaid for all.