FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 18, 2006
CONTACT: C. Chic Smith
301-443-1592 office / 202-689-4885 cell
Email: csmith@ahrq.gov / Web site: www.citizenshealthcare.gov
ORLANDO METRO PARTICIPATES IN NATIONWIDE DISCUSSION ON HEALTH CARE
Citizens’ recommendations to be considered by Congress, White House
Washington, D.C. – The Orlando metropolitan area will host a dialogue on health care in America presented by the Citizens’ Health Care Working Group. The community meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 24 2006, from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm at The Leu Gardens, 1920 North Forest Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803. Orlando based Winter Park Health Foundation is assisting in local recruitment. The meeting is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. Registration is available at www.citizenshealthcare.gov. (Press may contact Chic Smith directly for interviews and photo opportunities.)
The community meeting will feature a multimedia presentation that provides information on the nation’s health care system including problems related to cost, quality, and access to care. This will be followed by more focused discussions in small groups. Participants will share their ideas about how to improve the health care system.
“This provides our local residents a voice in determining the future direction of the health of the country,” said Dr. Jay Hughes, WPHF trustee and chairman of the WPHF Access to Health Care Work Group. “It is a chance to speak and be heard,” he said.
The Working Group, a nonpartisan group authorized by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, is charged with listening to the views of the American people and developing recommendations for the President and Congress to provide U.S. citizens with “Health Care that Works for All Americans.” The Health Report to the American People, was released in October and serves as a basis to engage the American people in a dialogue on health care access, cost and quality issues. The Working Group consists of 15 members --14 citizens of diverse backgrounds from across the country, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
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