Activism WORKS!!! Now 911 Needs Our Help
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A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
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Nursing Staffing Update - Washington - WOO HOO
Yesterday I received a call from the office of one of my Washington State elected officials. She wanted to let me know that as of July 1st Washington State has implemented legislation regarding nursing staffing levels.
The reason I mention this is that we sent out a similar RESISTBOT message to them about 6 month ago and that very office was skeptical - but YOU DID IT!!!
ACTIVISM WORKS - Well Done Everyone!!!!
Call 911 - If You Can
The national 911 emergency response system has its own emergency.
When we lived in Sierra Madre, California I accidentally butt called 911. The police were at my door in less than a minute. Embarrassing but an amazing response. Now much of the country may be in a position to have outages on the 911 system due to a funding failure.
The lack of federal funding to upgrade aging 911 systems has created significant disparities in state emergency response services, with older operations plagued by outages and longer response times.
Last month, for instance, Massachusetts was hit with a statewide 911 outage that lasted about two hours — making it at least the eighth state with a service interruption in the United States this year.
More than three-quarters of call centers experienced outages in the past year, based on the latest Pulse of 9-1-1 Survey by the National Emergency Number Association and Carbyne, which makes public safety technology products.
Here is a way to pay for the upgrades that has worked previously: use revenue from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that comes from the FCC’s auctioning of the rights to transmit signals over specific bands of the public electromagnetic spectrum. Cool, huh?
There’s a catch: The Senate in March 2023 let the FCC’s authority to auction spectrum bands lapse.
Good News - Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) proposed H.R.3565 - The Spectrum Auction Reauthorization Act of 2023 that would renew the auction authority until September 2026 and provide almost $15 billion in grants from auction proceeds for upgrading 911 systems. The bill unanimously passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee in May 2023.
ACTION
Let’s let our Member of Congress and Senators know that we want the 911 system upgraded and that a good way to do it is with H.R.3565 - The Spectrum Auction Reauthorization Act of 2023. Here is their contact info, https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials. You can use the message below as a script or cut/paste and modify it in an email to them.
Or use RESISTBOT via [Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER] or by texting SIGN PEPVUO to 50409 on your cell phone to send this message to your Senators and Member of Congress.
“I am your constituent and I just learned that the typical funding mechanism for the nation’s 911 emergency system has lapsed. That mechanism was to use revenue from the leasing of parts of the public’s electromagnetic spectrum. It is important because some states have had significant outages of their 911 systems.
Good News, H.R.3565 - The Spectrum Auction Reauthorization Act of 2023 would reinstate that FCC auction to collect those funds and keep our 911 systems up to date and reduce the chance of outages. I want you to get that bill passed in the House and Senate so we can have a robust 911 emergency system, in place for all of us. Thank you.”
Quality of Life - Health Plays a Part
Texas is the state with the worst quality of life, according to data from CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business report. CNBC used multiple factors like crime rates, health care, air quality and child care when determining quality of life of each state. Texas came in as the state with the worst quality of life, in part, due to its poor healthcare. The Lone Star State has one of the lowest primary care provider-to-patient ratios in the country, with 182 primary care providers per 100,000 residents, according to the Bureau of Health Workforce. Texas also has the highest percentage of people without health insurance. In 2022, about 22 percent of Texans did not have health insurance, according to The Commonwealth Fund.
On top of this, 19 percent of Texas had some sort of medical debt in 2021, 6 percentage points higher than the national average and 17 points higher than the state with the lowest percentage of residents with medical debt, according to The Commonwealth Fund.
Texas has few legal protections against discrimination and worker protection policies, contributing to its low quality of life ranking. Texas is another state with no public accommodation law barring discrimination against non-disabled people; it has passed a barrage of laws targeting the LGBTQ+ community; and its abortion ban is the strictest in the nation, according to CNBC.
The minimum wage in Texas is $7.25 an hour—about 20 percent lower than an hourly rate that would cover the cost of living for a family of four, according to an Oxfam America report. And if a Texan loses their job, the state’s unemployment benefits cover 10.5 percent of the income needed to cover the cost of living.
Here are all the states with a poor quality of life, according to the report in order:
1) Texas, 2) Indiana, 3) Alabama , 4) Oklahoma, 5) Arkansas, 6) Tennessee, 7) Missouri , 8) Louisiana , 9) Kansas, 10)Arizona (The Hill)
Medical Assault Laws - No Effect So Far
A year-old law seems to have done little to curb a surge in violence against health care workers that began during the pandemic, despite increasing charges for assaults on nonmedical staff — such as custodial, security or administrative workers — who are providing emergency medical care.
According to Maine’s Judicial Branch, there have been 12 charges of “assault on an emergency medical care provider” in 2024 — on track to meet similar numbers as the last five years. There were 27 charges in 2023 and 25 in 2022, for example.
The law – L.D. 1119 – which passed in July 2023, increased charges for an assault occurring in an emergency department setting, regardless of whether the victim is a health care worker, from a Class D crime — punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a $2,000 fine — to a Class C crime, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. (AP)
Resources
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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Could we a get a resistbot code for the 911 action? Thanks!
Done! The idea that 911 would be underfunded is terrifying. I really needed them a couple months back and might not be typing this if they’d been down.