FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2006
CONTACT: C. Chic Smith
301-443-1592 office / 202-689-4885 cell
Email: csmith@ahrq.gov / Web site: www.citizenshealthcare.gov
LEXINGTON AREA JOINS NATIONAL HEALTH CARE DISCUSSION
Citizens' recommendations to be considered by Congress, White House
Washington, D.C. – The Citizens’ Health Care Working Group will host a community dialogue on health care in America in Lexington, KY, on Tuesday, April 25th, from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm, Radisson Hotel, 369 West Vine Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40507. This event 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 is the first step to address the concerns of access, quality and cost of health care,” offered Christine Wright, a registered nurse from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who is a member of the Working Group. “This community forum will provide an opportunity for Kentucky residents to share their thoughts and values as we look for solutions in health care.”
The community meetings feature a multimedia presentation that provides information on the nation’s health care system followed by moderated discussion of what health care services should be provided, how they should be delivered and financed, and trade-offs Americans are willing to make to improve the system. In addition, community members are encouraged to share their opinions and views by using the Public Comment Center, the Citizens’ Blogs and Discussion Forums at www.citizenshealthcare.gov. Reports from completed meetings are also available.
This community meeting is one of three dozen taking place throughout the nation. At the conclusion of the community meetings, the Working Group will develop recommendations which the President will review and on which five Congressional Committees will hold hearings.
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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