As I begin writing this message it’s the last week of October. The weather is still unseasonably mild with daytime temps in the low to mid 50’s. It makes me a bit nervous when we get a break from really cold weather for an extended period of time, and makes me wonder if we’ll be paying for this a bit later. Well, it’s out of my control so I’m taking it off the radar, for now…
October, surprisingly, has been pretty busy. In addition to the usual seasonal activity of meetings or workshops, there’s also an abundance of phone calls to the office, there’s planning for our November meetings and our December Volunteer party, truckloads of items being donated to our One More Time Stores and the changeover of retail seasonal offerings, as well as rent rebate questions galore and inquiries about Senior Partners Care. Not only has it been hectic and challenging, but also fun.
A flurry of advocacy activities also started mid-month and continued through the end of October. Phone, e-mail, and in-person strategy sessions have taken place with our Greater MN Health Care (GMHCC) Coalition partners and our statewide allies. A lot of time, effort and consideration have been given to moving our plans forward for both County Based Purchasing (CBP) development, as well as the Minnesota Health Plan. CBP Outreach efforts have been slowed a bit recently when our GMHCC Outreach Coordinator Kyle Bozentko accepted another position with the Jefferson Institute in St. Paul. Even though his position was listed as temporary (because it was funded by a Bremer Grant), we had hoped that we could have use of his talents until at least the end of 2011. Unfortunately, that didn’t come off as planned, as his talents and ability made him attractive to another non-profit and we knew it wouldn’t be fair to stand in his way. The good news is that in the ten-plus months Kyle worked for GMHCC he made and maintained a number of vital contacts in the region, so we are thankful for what he accomplished during his tenure with us. We feel confident that we should be able to build on Kyle’s efforts for GMHCC and CBP education and advancement.
As far as the MN Health Plan goes, and healthcare reform in general, we’ve done a number of things related to that which should yield measurable results. First of all, a letter has been sent requesting a copy of the Actuarial Rate Certification letter related to the HMO’s delivery of healthcare for bidding for the state’s low-income and subsidized programs. This is a difficult if not impossible document to obtain, according to all reports, but it’s supposed to be available under the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA). We are awaiting response to our request for it from Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, where the letter was addressed. Co-signers to the letter/request include the MN Nurses Association (MNA), Physicians For a National Health Program (PNHP-MN), the Minnesota Chiropractic Association, MN Universal Health Care Coalition (MUHCC), and the Minnesota Podiatric Association. The response should tell us a lot about how “open and accountable” our administration is (in Minnesota) to common-sense requests for information.
Secondly, we have requested a meeting to compare notes with County Based Purchasing (CBP) representative Michael Scandrett, to get his “take” on what effect the recently passed budget cuts to healthcare will have on their groups in Minnesota. We have hopes that CBPs, because of their unique and open nature, will be spared some of the drastic cuts targeted at HMOs who deliver the bulk of state healthcare programs. The meeting should give us a more accurate picture of who will be affected and to what extent.
Finally, we have had numerous information exchanges, via phone and e-mail, with our advocates and allies culminating with a couple of in-person strategy sessions in St. Paul. No surprise, strategic planing for the rest of 2011 and all of 2012 comprised the bulk of our meetings. As expected, we will all be continuing a lot of work in pushing for greater transparency and accountability for our tax dollars spent on healthcare. This bipartisan call for action on healthcare cost transparency is just what’s needed to keep the process moving forward. We will monitor and report on the activities as they become clearer.
I had the pleasure of taking in the Annual MN Council on Nonprofits (MNCN) workshop in St. Paul in early October. It’s a great way to network with other non-profits, as well as to take in some updated program and issue training. The workshops are very well run and the topics are suggested by MNCN members, so they are targeted at specific issues and challenges in the non-profit world. One workshop on expanding reach with other non-profits, regardless of their mission or location, was a bit of welcome news and opened more than a few eyes in the room. Another workshop on the challenges faced by non-profits in greater/rural Minnesota was also timely, and provided some good ideas for dealing with rural challenges. I also took in a workshop on “messaging” for non-profits, which is slightly different than messaging (advertising) for business or social purposes. There is almost limitless potential for developing and using this rapidly expanding technology and we already have our “toe in the water.” Our goal in 2012 should be to get our entire leg “in the water” so as to take advantage of the communication possibilities available to us with social media technology. The good news is that, relatively speaking, the cost of doing social media expansion is low in comparison to other forms currently being used. I’m confident that our 2012 Seven County budget will reflect that shift in communication channels and priorities.
I had the opportunity to be part of a healthcare rally and march in support of healthcare reform. The rally took place on October 25th with over one hundred (100) people showing up to lend their support on a very cool and drizzly late afternoon in downtown Minneapolis. Many of the people we work with on the issue of healthcare were there, including folks from MNA, MUHCC, PNHP-MN, and the MN Chiropractic Association, among others. The march and rally (to the U.S. Appeals/Bankruptcy Court) lasted almost two (2) hours and was a high-energy gathering. It launched from the Hennepin County Government Center Plaza, which is the site of Occupy Minnesota (spawned by Occupy Wall Street activities).
As a point of fact, there are now well over one hundred (100) “Occupy” sites in cities around the country, with the number of sites growing every day. A really insightful person has repeatedly said, over the past 2 years, that “…nothing is going to change until the people take to the streets in protest.” That summary is proving to be prophetic. Some folks have drawn comparisons to the Occupy movement with the Arab Spring protest movements. Those protests caused a number of oppressive regimes to topple in the Middle East. Occupy’ state and national activity is focused much more on business practices than government function. The relationship between big business and government is intricately intertwined, oftentimes to the detriment of the general public; therefore the focus of Occupy is on big business. We are glad to see the attention paid to healthcare inadequacies, as well as all issues of social justice, and will always support the cause of common-sense reforms. Stay informed and get involved in making your world, our world, a better place to live.
Peace, and affordable accessible healthcare to all!


