FOR IMMEDIATE RELASE:
Contact:
John Wasik at 847-223-9814, johnwasik@ameritech.net.
Stan Rosenberg at 847-543-1202, bcbarn@prairiecrossing.com.
A Prairie Crossing Public Forum
Saturday, February 4, 2006, 1:00 p.m.
Byron Colby Barn, Route 45 and Jones Point Road, Grayslake, IL
Affordable and accessible health care is a serious national problem that impacts everyone, yet it rarely tops the agenda for most politicians (Note: President Bush will mention health care in his upcoming State of the Union speech). Nevertheless, the topic needs to be aired, focusing on the following questions:
* Why is the U.S. losing the economic battle (jobs, factories) to compete worldwide because of its crippled health care system?
* Why is the single-payer Canadian health-care system being attacked so vigorously by American special-interest groups? What makes the Canadian system work?
* Why does the U.S. provide some of the most extensive healthcare and still lag behind industrialized countries despite having the highest gross domestic product on earth?
* Why are 45 million Americans without health insurance and 20 million underinsured?
* Why is it extremely difficult to find affordable coverage if you’re a part-timer, contract worker, small business employee or have serious pre-existing health conditions or are between jobs?
* Why are most employers cutting back on healthcare benefits, forcing you to pay more out of pocket?
At the Byron Colby Barn, we will have a number of expert speakers who will examine the current situation and propose solutions. There will be a question-and-answer session in which you can ask questions and enter into intelligent discussions concerning the alternatives to our present system. Here are some of the exciting and informed speakers you can expect to hear:
– One of our lead speakers will be Dr. Quentin Young with Physicians for a National Health Care Program. Dr. Young is the former chairman of Medicine at Cook County Hospital and a well-known authority on health care. He is a regular commentator on WBEZ-FM.
– Joining us from Canada will be Dr. Robert McMurtry, an expert on the Canadian health program and orthopedic surgeon (see bio below). Dr. McMurtry is a leader in efforts to reduce waiting times in the Canadian system. This is a great opportunity to learn the facts about health care in Canada, get your questions answered, and discuss evidence-based health care reform with a brilliant, committed, practicing physician from north of the border.
– We’ll also feature a speaker from the Illinois Health Care Referendum 2006, a statewide effort to ask the voters if they want lawmakers to improve our health care system. Citizen Action Illinois will also be presenting the “Healthy Illinois” proposal, a plan to provide health care to everyone in the state through partnerships with private insurers. As President Bush and other leaders embark upon a national dialogue to discuss health care, be a part of the discussion and debate.
Bio of Dr. Robert McMurtry
Dr. Robert McMurtry is a graduate of the University of Toronto in Medicine in 1965 and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
During his residency in Orthopedic Surgery, he spent 2 years in Africa, first in a mission hospital in Sekhukhuniland (South Africa) and then with the Canadian International Development Agency in Uganda. Following his residency, Dr. McMurtry did a fellowship in Hand Surgery at the University of Iowa. He started his practice at the former Sunnybrook Hospital (now Sunnybrook and Womens Health Centre) in 1975. It was there that Dr. McMurtry founded and directed Canada’s First Trauma Unit and the multi-disciplinary Hand Unit.
In 1987, he was appointed Professor and Chair of Surgery at the University of Calgary and Chief of Surgery at Foothills Hospital. In 1992, he became Dean of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario and subsequently Dean of Medicine and Dentistry, a post he held until 1999. In 1999, he became the first Cameron Visiting Chair at Health Canada – a post carrying the responsibility for providing policy advice to the Deputy Minister and Minister of Health for Canada.
Dr. McMurtry is the founding Assistant Deputy Minister of the Population and Public Health Branch of Health Canada. He was appointed to the Romanow Commission in 2002 as a Special Advisor to Commissioner Romanow.
Presently, Dr. McMurtry is Professor of Surgery at the University of Western Ontario and Orthopedic Consultant at St. Josephs Health Care in London, Ontario. His work involves an active clinical practice as well as teaching and research In December 2003, he was appointed to the Health Council of Canada and is Chair of the Wait Times and Accessibility Work Group. In June of 2003, he received the Presidential Award of Excellence from the Canadian Orthopedic Association.
