FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 10, 2006
CONTACT: C. Chic Smith
301-443-1592 office / 202-689-4885 cell
Email: csmith@ahrq.gov / Web site: www.citizenshealthcare.gov
ALBUQUERQUE PARTICIPATES IN NATIONWIDE DISCUSSION ON HEALTH CARE
Citizens' recommendations to be considered by Congress, White House
Washington, D.C. – Residents of the Albuquerque metropolitan area will participate in a community dialogue on health care in America presented by the Citizens’ Health Care Working Group. The community meeting will be held on Monday, March 20th, from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm at the Albuquerque Convention Center, 401 2nd St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. The meeting is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. Registration is available online at www.citizenshealthcare.gov. Onsite registration is also available.
"Input from citizens who know first hand the challenges and successes within health care is essential in this process," offered Christine Wright, a registered nurse from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who is a member of the Working Group. "I look forward to the opportunity to hear from the people of Albuquerque as they help us find solutions."
This community meeting, one of more than 30 nation wide, 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.
Community members, especially those unable to come to the meeting are urged to take advantage of several important online features designed to overcome physical and practical barriers to citizen participation. The Public Comment Center, Citizens’ Blogs, and Discussion Forums, are found at www.citizenshealthcare.gov. They are all ways to enable a more inclusive public comment and debate so that citizens can share their opinions with one another and make their views known to the Working Group in order to strengthen the recommendations provided to the President and Congress.
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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