Health care workers from SEIU locals across California and the country came together at a conference to learn how health care reform legislation will affect their jobs, their workplaces and the future of health care.
“I thought I knew about health care reform,” said Kwame Welsh, a health information associate at High Desert Health Systems in Lancaster. “This is probably the biggest thing to happen politically in this country in the last 25 years, and I learned so much about it.” The conference was held in San Jose on June 26 and 27 and offered a chance for public health care workers to exchange ideas about how to implement the changes Congress and President Obama recently enacted into law.
“More people than ever will be coming into the system,” said LA County Health Educator Paula Miller. “The statement ‘Well, that’s the way we’ve always done it’ won’t exist anymore, because we’re going to have new ways of doing everything that are going to be much more efficient.”
She added that thanks to events like the conference, “SEIU 721 members will know about the new health delivery systems that will bring improvements in health care.”
“This conference emphasized the importance of working together,
” said Ali Paula, a clinical therapist from Indio. “As we continue to collaborate with other agencies, the services we provide the public will be more effective.”
Miller agrees. She said ”
Everyone has to be unified to make these changes happen
–public health agencies, non-profit organizations, government agencies and front-line health care workers.
When he returned from the weekend conference, Welsh couldn’t wait to share the information he picked up with his colleagues. “I told all of my co-workers, ‘Reform means change for the good.'”
Later this summer, SEIU 721 members will have the opportunity to attend local health care reform workshops in their communities. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about how you can help reform health care, contact Nicole Moore via email or at (213) 251-3707.