Next steps in supporting healthcare reform the topic of V4CF meeting July 7

With President Obama's July 31 deadline for passage of comprehensive healthcare reform legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, healthcare reform is still the hot topic for summer.

As such, our next steps in supporting that reform will be the topic of our next Volunteers For Change-Fresno meeting, scheduled 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, in the large community room at the Fig Garden Library, 3071 W. Bullard Ave., in Fresno. The library is on the southwest corner of Bullard and Marks, in the shopping center.

Our agenda will include:

• The next steps in supporting President Obama's healthcare reform initiative, including ways we all can help;
• Opportunities to take action on healthcare and healthcare reform in our area, including participation in health fairs in August; and
• Actions in support of our local food banks, who are asking for urgent assistance during the summer months.

Want to help right away? Bring a nonperishable food item or canned good to our meeting. We'll collect them and make sure they get to the people who need them!

Want to help our Fresno libraries? Bring a used book or few to our meeting. We'll collect them and donate them to the Fresno Library System on behalf of Volunteers For Change-Fresno.

We hope to see you Tuesday!

Healthcare rally June 25 outside Sen. Feinstein's office gets attention

From our member Kris Arden comes this:

Our first Call to Action in June was the Rally for Health Care Reform, which took place Thursday, June 25, outside of the Fresno office of California Senator Diane Feinstein.

After the rally, I went up to Sen. Feinstein's office with several other Volunteers For Change-Fresno members, including Carol Penn and Julius Chatton, and about 12 others from various agencies.

There we met for about an hour with Sarah Moffat, a field representative from Sen. Feinstein's office, where we all shared our stories related to healthcare or the lack thereof. Ms. Moffat said that personal stories are what will really sway Sen. Feinstein, so hopefully our stories and thousands of others will help the Senator to get on board with President Obama's vision for healthcare reform.

Here's how the rally looked:

Thanks for the report, Kris! And thanks to all V4CF members who participated in the rally! Way to Be the Change!

HuffPo reports public option gaining Senate support

From our friends at the Huffington Post:

Democrats on a key Senate Committee outlined a revised and far less costly health care plan Wednesday night that includes a government-run insurance option and an annual fee on employers who do not offer coverage to their workers.The plan carries a 10-year price tag of slightly over $600 billion, and would lead toward an estimated 97 percent of all Americans having coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office, Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and Chris Dodd said in a letter to other members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

The full article is available on the Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-rosenbaum/all-13-democrats-are-voti_b_224853.html.

President Obama invites you to join online 'town hall' meeting about healthcare reform Wednesday

From our friends at Whitehouse.gov:

Health care reform is already a hot topic, and as legislation moves through Congress, Americans across the nation have questions about how costs will be brought under control to make quality affordable health care accessible to everyone.

That's why the White House is taking another step to connect with people outside of Washington and answer some of the most common questions you have. In the coming days, we're going to focus on your questions about health care, with President Obama and some of his top health care advisors providing answers.

On Wednesday, the President will hold another online town hall to answer more of your questions. This online town hall will be a little different than the last one. This time around, we are engaging online networks outside of WhiteHouse.gov, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

(If the viewscreen above is not visible, President Obama's invitation can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY7HccFXjZU.)

It is safe to say that we are going to get a ton of questions from a lot of sources and won't be able to answer every one. But over the coming days, we'll use this blog, online chats and the President's town hall on Wednesday to address some of the most common issues we see.

Don't know how to respond to the President's video with your question? Check out this tutorial from YouTube about how to create your own and add it as a response.

If you are a Twitter user, you can also ask your question with this hashtag: #WHHCQ or head to Facebook and ask your question there.

Next V4CF meeting scheduled Tuesday, July 7

Save the date: Our next Volunteers For Change-Fresno general meeting is scheduled 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, in the large community room at the Fig Garden Library, 3071 W. Bullard Ave., in Fresno. The library is on the southwest corner of Bullard and Marks, in the shopping center.

It's 'busy season' for the issues, so please stay tuned for our meeting agenda!

President Obama's weekly address: Opening the door to a clean-energy economy

From our friends at Whitehouse.gov:

In his weekly address, President Obama praises historic energy legislation passed by the House of Representatives. The legislation will help America create green jobs, ensure clean air for our children, move towards energy independence and combat climate change.



If the viewscreen above is not visible, the address is available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3foa-tAKe1Q.