Miami Citizens Chosen for Nationwide Discussion on Healthcare
City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz to Host Participants on March 9;
Recommendations to be Considered by Congress, White House
PRNewswire
Jan. 23, 2006
WASHINGTON and MIAMI, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ --
The Miami-Dade metropolitan area has been named among the first round of localities to host a citizen dialogue on healthcare in America. The Citizens' Healthcare Working Group will host a community meeting in Miami, FL on March 9, 2006 at the Wyndham Hotel in Coconut Grove from 4-8 p.m. The Office of Mayor Manny Diaz and Energia Communications LLC are assisting in local recruitment. The meeting is open to the public, but registration is required. Online registration is available at http://www.citizenshealthcare.gov.
"Healthcare is an issue of concern for millions of Americans nationwide. As Mayor of a city with a significant elderly and immigrant population, hosting a forum that will directly bring citizen's input to the national stage is of tremendous importance and value," said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.
The Miami community meeting will feature a multimedia presentation that provides information on the nation's healthcare system today 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 healthcare system, and these ideas will be combined with those of all other cities and presented to Congress and President Bush later this year.
"We invite the American public to engage in an informed discussion about how to address the healthcare problems facing our nation," said Randall L. Johnson, Chair of the Citizens' Health Care Working Group and Director, Human Resources Strategic Initiatives, Motorola.
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 "Healthcare 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 healthcare access, cost and quality issues. The Working Group consists of 15 members -- 14 citizens of diverse backgrounds from across the country, and Michael O. Leavitt, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
© 2006 PRNewswire