FAST 2005 What do we do?

TENTH ANNUAL 40-HOUR FAST
Health Care For All:
The Moral Prescription
March 1-3, 2005

What can you do?

Pray, fast and work for health care justice
We know the immoral inequality that now characterizes the U.S. health care system does not have to continue. We know what to do, but our elected officials currently lack the necessary political will. Bring the FAST 2005 brochure to your congregation, school, or place of work and educate others about these issues. The brochure is available as a pdf document in two parts (poster side and mailer side) by clicking here. Adobe Reader is required to open the document.

Work for legislative change
An effective first step to health care for all is via a "Legislative Commission on Universal Health Care," a NY bill "promoting the development and evaluation of models for universal health care for all New Yorkers while controlling costs and ensuring freedom of choice for consumers." Contact Hunger Action Network of New York State (518/ 434-7371) to add your organization's support and find out how you can help. Click here to see the Commission Proposal.

Support the renewal of New York's Health Care Reform Act in order to guarantee that all New Yorkers have access to quality, affordable health care.

Physicians for a National Health Program offers information, workshops and opportunities for action. (312/ 782-6006)

The Alliance for Retired Americans is urging legislation permitting the government to negotiate prescription drug prices and to allow for the reimportation of safe lower-cost drugs from Canada. Both welcome your call
(518/ 783-6231 for the New York state affiliate).

Support New York's farmworkers
Farmworkers are the backbone of the $212 billion U.S. agricultural economy. Yet of the approximately 2.5 million hired farm laborers, only 5% have health insurance, almost all of which is Medicaid-funded.

Because of low pay, frequent travel, language barriers, and immigration status, there are marked health disparities between migrant and seasonal farmworkers and most other populations. These include higher incidences of hypertension, high serum cholesterol, anemia, diabetes, parasitic infection, tuberculosis, allergies, eye problems, dental disease and depression.

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TENTH ANNUAL 40-HOUR FAST
Health Care For All:
The Moral Prescription
Tuesday, March 1, 2005, at 8 p.m.
until Wednesday, March 3, at noon

The number 40 has special significance in both religious and labor traditions. In religious history, the 40 days of Lent, the 40 days of rain in the Great Flood, and the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert are a few examples of this deeply symbolic number. The 40-hour work week, which gave workers the week-end for rest, was won only after years of hard struggle and sacrifice by the labor movement.

In our fasting, we lift up our belief that access to health care is a basic moral and human right. The richest nation on earth cannot continue to deny health care to millions of its citizens

The New York State Labor-Religion Coalition and its twelve affiliates sponsor events across the state during the 40 hours. For more information, visit our web site www.labor-religion.org or call 518/613-6000, ext. 6294.