American Medical Student Association

Videos/Multimedia: Viewing and Discussion

• Primary Care Crisis Project-in-a-Box 
  - Explanation, Discussion Questions & Action Item
  - 20 minute Video  
  - 20 minute Audio

• Health Reform Impact on Primary Care Project-in-a-Box
  - Explanation, Discussion Questions & Action Item  
  - 20 minute Video  
  - 20 minute Audio  

Lectures/Workshops

• Health Care for ALL Powerpoint Presentations
  • Overview of the U.S. Health Care System
  • Strategies to Expand Health Care Access
  • The Case for Universal Health Care
  • Single Payer 101
  • International Health Care Systems
  • Introduction to Framing
  • Midwest Academy Strategic Planning and Coalition Building
• Invite a panel to discuss the issues of a children’s health insurance program, safety net providers such as community clinics and free clinics, national health insurance, and whether health care is a right.
• Organize a discussion about national health goals such as the national campaign for 100% access and Healthy People 2010 initiative in terms of health care reform and where we are at currently. Examine the proposed Healthy People 2020 Objectives. For more information on these topics, please visit http://www.health.gov/healthypeople
• Invite an emergency medicine physician or administrator from a nearby municipal/county hospital to lead a discussion.
  • To find local contacts specializing in this topic, contact the American Hospital Association, Society for Ambulatory Care Professionals at (312) 422-3903, or call the American Public Health Association at (202) 789-5600. The most important thing is to find a lively speaker who is well versed in the debate surrounding non-urgent care in the emergency room. Perhaps they can address how healthcare reform does, or does not, address this issue.
• Managed Care
  • Sponsor a brown-bag lunch discussion for students. Invite the Dean of Medical Education/Nursing/Health Science, or members of each program’s curriculum committee, to discuss how managed care is addressed in that school’s curriculum. Informally poll your fellow students beforehand to find out what they would like to know and plan it from there.
  • a speaker event: "Managed Care and Health Profession Education."
    • Invite the medical director from a local HMO to come and talk with students. To find a speaker, call an MCO in your area (such as Kaiser Permanente, Health Net or Group Health) and ask if they have a speakers' bureau or an office of medical education.
    • Invite an interdisciplinary panel of speakers, including physicians (especially recent graduates), nurse practitioners, physician assistants, case managers, and so forth, who have experience working in HMOs and who can give different perspectives on the positive and negative aspects. Try to find speakers from a variety of managed care settings and experiences to portray an accurate picture.
    • Invite students from other disciplines as well, such as public health, physical therapy, and nursing. A discussion about managed care is a great way to make NPCW more interdisciplinary.
• Long-Term Care, Healthcare Reform, and You (Word Doc / PowerPoint 2MB)
  Discuss issues surrounding care for elderly patients and how changes in healthcare funding may impact decision-making for this population

Policy 

• Single Payer Flyer (pdf)
• Invite a speaker: Possibilities include a health provider who is active in legislative affairs, a local congressional representative or staff member, or someone who works for a local agency that is involved in health-care policy. You could invite multiple individuals and create a panel discussion.
• Invite a health professional to come speak about health workforce distribution. Invite someone interested in policy and/or active at an affiliated School of Public Policy. Or invite a primary care provider who has worked in an underserved area, or who works in an HMO, to tell you about their experiences.

Grassroots

• Discuss the issues and create a plan for action: Conduct a voter-registration drive, an education project, or anything else you think will be beneficial to your school and community with respect to political activism.
• Contact the Council on Graduate Medical Education to discuss the nation's supply and distribution of physicians and medical personnel.