FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 24, 2006
CONTACT:
| C. Chic Smith, or | Shelley Durfee |
| 301-443-1592 office | 901-248-7768 |
| 202-689-4885 cell | sdurfee@sdpublicrelations.com |
| csmith@ahrq.gov |
MEMPHIS AREA PARTICIPATES IN NATIONWIDE DISCUSSION ON HEALTH CARE
Citizens’ recommendations to be considered by Congress, White House
Washington, D.C. – The Memphis metropolitan area has been named among the first round of localities to host a citizen dialogue on health care in America. The Citizens’ Health Care Working Group will host a community meeting in downtown Memphis on February 11, 2006, at BRIDGES, 477 N. 5th Street, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The meeting is open to the public, but registration is requested. Online registration is available at www.citizenshealthcare.gov/register.
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.
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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