CLEVELAND – On Thursday, January 11, 2007, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital at University Hospitals Case Medical Center will host a Town Hall Meeting, as part of a national series of Town Hall Meetings to be held on the same day, addressing the issue of health coverage for children and the pending Congressional decision about whether to reauthorize the successful State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
Rainbow is hosting the Town Hall Meeting in partnership with Akron Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Columbus Children’s Hospital, The Center for Community Solutions, Dayton Children’s, Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, Toledo Children’s Hospital, and Voices for Ohio’s Children.
The regional meeting at Rainbow will follow a National Town Hall Meeting at George Washington University Hospital in Washington D.C. at noon, featuring Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) (invited). The Rainbow Town Hall will begin with attendees viewing the National Town Hall Meeting via a live satellite broadcast.
Rainbow’s Town Hall Meeting will feature Sara Rosenbaum, one of the country’s most influential health policy makers. Rosenbaum previously worked for the Clinton Administration, where she directed the legislative drafting of the Health Security Act for the President and developed the Vaccines for Children initiative. She is currently the Hirsh Professor and Chair for the Department of Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Services.
The Town Hall Meeting will also feature a family with first hand experience living without health insurance.
Also participating in the Town Hall meeting will be State Representative Mike Skindell (D-13), Mary Wachtel, the Columbus staff person for Voices for Ohio’s Children; Tracy J. Williams, the State Medicaid Director for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services; Avroy A. Fanaroff, MD, the Chair of Pediatrics at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital; Meri B. Armour, the senior vice president and general manager for Rainbow; Fred C. Rothstein, MD, President & CEO of University Hospitals Case Medical Center; and Thomas F. Zenty III, President & CEO of University Hospitals.
The key speakers and panel discussion will address the urgent need to cover all children, local and state children’s health coverage efforts, and the importance of supporting SCHIP and Medicaid coverage for kids. Rosenbaum and the panel will draw attention to the 9 million children who are still uninsured and need access to quality health care coverage and also the 156,000 uninsured children in Ohio.
The Campaign for Children’s Health Care and the following seven national hospital and health care associations are sponsoring this Town Hall Meetings series: American Hospital Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, Catholic Health Association of the United States, Families USA, Federation of American Hospitals, National Association of Children’s Hospitals and National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems.
Who: Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital to host statewide children’s healthcare leaders, politicians, and health policy experts
What: Town Hall Meeting feature a national broadcast via satellite feed, followed by a local program featuring Sara Rosenbaum and a panel of children’s healthcare experts discussing SCHIP and children’s medical coverage in Ohio.
When: Thursday, January 11, 2007, 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Where: Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Performance Area
Satellite Feed: B-roll and sound bites from the National Town Hall will be made available to news stations via satellite feed in the afternoon of January 11, 2007. Details to follow.
Parking: Broadcast media with equipment may park on the street near the Rainbow lobby. All other media representatives may utilize the valet parking service.