Artists to take to St. Paul stage for health care

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“Artists as a whole make less money professionally. And with the high cost of insurance they end up in emergency rooms for care because they do not have coverage.” said Papa John Kolstad, musician and political activist.  “This disenfranchises our artists.  We want to give them the opportunity to learn about the Minnesota Health Plan on May 2 and become a spokesperson for MHP.”The event, “Artist on Stage for Health Care” will take place at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul on Monday, May 2.  This event is entertainment and education for the Minnesota artist community.  It is free and open to the public.A survey conducted in 2007 by Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, found after surveying 20,000 artists in Minnesota, that 14 percent are uninsured.  “The newest group now that is not insured are young people,” said Ellen Lafans, RN, co-chair for the Campaign for Minnesota Health Plan.  “We are all at risk with our health care whether you have or have not any insurance.  You can have health insurance but that does not mean you have health care.”   Artists Michael Hauser, Kevin Kling, Papa John Kolstad, Pop Wagner, and the Biddies Galore Irish dancers will entertain at the May 2 event, and some of the performers will share their health care stories.  Patricia Schwartz and Janet O’Connell will exhibit their drawings and paintings.Speakers will include Senator John Marty, State Representative Jeff Hayden, Joel Clemmer, and Lisa Nilles, the acting director of the Minnesota Universal Health Care Coalition. “Our present insurance system is not sustainable,” said Papa John Kolstad.  Advocates for Minnesota Health Plan describe MHP as a universal single-payer, single plan system that would 100 percent of Minnesota residents for their medical needs.  Revenues would come from state government, businesses and individuals.  Individuals would contribute to the premium based on their ability to pay.  MHP believes that health care is a basic right of all people.Presently there is bill (HF51/SF8) before the Minnesota Legislature called Minnesota Health Plan.  Senator John Marty has introduced legislation requiring the state to contract directly with health care providers, thus bypassing HMOs in delivering health care for low income Minnesotans.  The administrative savings would allow more money to be spent on health care.For further information contact: Ellen Lafans, co-chair for Campaign for the Minnesota Health Plan, at ellenlafans@comcast.net or call 651-353-2741  Coverage of issues and events that affect Central Corridor neighborhoods and communities is funded in part by a grant from Central Corridor Collaborative. Continue Reading

Ann Bancroft Awards 2011

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The Ann Bancroft Foundation has named four winners of its 14th annual Dream Maker Awards, who will be recognized at the spring banquet on April 28.  These individuals are recognized for inspiring courage, risk-taking, integrity, and individuality in girls or women.  The winners are Women’s Advocates, Susan McCormick Hadley, Shawnnise Watkins and Pam Borton.  Each recipient receives a $1,000 award.  Each year this event has raised proceeds in excess of $100,000, according to the Ann Bancroft Foundation.Women’s Advocates, the first shelter in the United States for family violence victims, will receive an award for its ongoing support for girls and women.  Started in 1974, this organization provides emergency shelter and support services to women and their children in the Twin Cities area. “In a year we serve 800 to 1000 individuals with one half of them being kids.  We especially focus on therapies for the children in hopes of changing the cycle of violence,” said Raeone Loscalzo, executive director of St. Paul Women’s Advocates.  “Eighty to eighty-five per cent of the women are low income or below.  Only fifteen per cent or less of the women return to shelters in 3 years.” Want to be there?For ticket information contact www.annbancroftfoundation.org or call Tracy Adams at 763-479-4499.  Reception begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner and awards program. The 14th annual awards will be given on Thursday, April 28, 2011 at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown, Minneapolis.  Susan McCormick Hadley created Womankind (Hotline/Crisis: 612-924-8200), the first program of its kind in the United State to provide advocacy and case management services for victims of domestic abuse in our health care system.  In the early 1980s, the medical systems were not responding to domestic violence.  Hadley saw the opportunity to engage and provide support for women through the medical system by training health care professionals to ask appropriate questions and direct women to the services that they needed. “Victims of domestic violence visit health care providers far more often than those not directly affected by domestic violence,” according to Hadley.  Womankind is a national model for healthcare. “I want to thank the staff at Fairview Hospital and the Woman’s Auxiliary for helping me to start this program,” said Hadley.  She is now completing her Ph.D., focusing on how the media portrays domestic abuse and the impact that messaging has on prevention, intervention and healing.  She receives an award for achievement and leadership in a woman’s category. Continue Reading

Minnesota’s ARC builds refugee camps in Liberia

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The Minnesota-based American Refugee Committee is helping refugees from the Ivory Coast, who have fled to Liberia.  “We have been building emergencies shelters in Nimba County, Liberia since December.” said Daniel Wordsworth, president of American Refugee Committee, headquartered in Minneapolis. “The number of refugees fleeing to Liberia could reach 175,000 to 250,000 with worse case being 500,000.”  Widespread violence broke out in the Ivory Coast, mainly in the city of Abidjan, after the 2010 presidential election in November. Ivory Coast president, Laurent Gbago, refuses to step down, though election results indicate that he was defeated by challenger Alassane Outattara. “The Ivory Coast (also known as Cote d’Ivore) is a politically divided country north and south with differing ethnic and religious groups,” said Wordsworth.   The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported in mid-March that the number of refugees who have fled into Liberia is now 90,000 and 300,000 have been displaced from Abidjan alone.  Many are still in transit or seeking refuge in other countries.  “While international attention has been focused in recent weeks on the events in North Africa, the unfolding tragedy in West Africa has gone largely overlooked,” Melissa Fleming, UNHCR spokesperson, said on their website. Continue Reading

Yvette Mulongo honored for work with women in the Congo

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On Tuesday, March 1, Yvette Mulongo, a healthcare advocate from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was honored with a grant from the Americans for United Nations Population Fund at a luncheon at the Grand Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.  The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) provides healthcare for women and promotes the rights of women in over 150 countries worldwide.  Each year Americans for UNFPA hosts educational and public awareness events. The Congo is located in central Africa.  It has been a war zone since 1998 despite two peace accords, with more than three million people killed and more than a million displaced. The most affected areas still are the northeastern provinces, where young girls 10 to 17 are the most vulnerable.  The prevalence of rape in the Congo has been described as the worst in the world.  A U.N. report details the widespread use of rape as a weapon of war, and the increasing prevalence of rape by rebel and government soldiers, and by civilians. UNFPA aids survivors of sexual violence with medical care, economic and social rehabilitation, and legal assistance. Ms. Mulongo has worked for 16 years for the rights of women and girls.  She is program manager for Abott Fund for Maternal and Child Health Programs and the Director of Family Planning for SANRU, a rural health program in the Congo. Continue Reading