Universal Health Care
AMSA Single Payer is Sexy Potluck - Sick for SiCKO!
(AMSA-SPSP)
| Time commitment: | Approx. 2 hours |
| Purpose: | To encourage students and others to participate in regular, monthly discussions on issues relevant to Universal Healthcare and to the elimination of healthcare disparities and to develop an understanding of Single Payer vs. other "universal" healthcare proposals. |
| Why? | Medical students like food, and they like free food even more - hence the Potluck principle. And while they're having dinner is a great time to talk to them, and with them, about Single Payer National Health Insurance. One of the problems many students face when attempting to discuss heath policy is a less than thorough understanding of the issue. While this may be a fault of our medical schools, as student activists we can use this opportunity to make health policy a little more fun, understandable and sexy than it might otherwise seem. And of course, never forget - knowledge is power! |
| Attendance: | As many students and non-students as possible |
What you will need for this session:
- DVD of Michael Moore's SiCKO
- Preparation and Follow-Up (see below!)
- Room, gracious host (no joke) and dining utensils
- SiCKO SPSP packet from AMSA's Jack Rutledge, including printouts
- DVD Player/Computer connected to TV or projector and sound system
Preparation checklist:
- Packet
- Read packet materials, including articles or fliers (no more than 1 or 2 per packet)
- Make copies for participants. If you can't do this through your school, contact the JRF.
- Scheduling
- Be careful not to schedule your event right before an exam. Try to work with the MS1 and MS2 academic calendars to verify this. Most schools post them online or on campus.
- If you can, prepare the schedule (one event per month) in August or September, for the entire year. In any case, try to provide two weeks notice before any event.
- Advertising
- Begin advertising your event 2-3 weeks prior. Promote this event with flyers and word of mouth at the AMSA table at the Student Activities Fair
- How: email (to all med-school classes, MPH, Nursing, PA, PT classes, etc), posters and fliers, classroom announcements, mention it to people in small groups sessions, friends…
- Email timing: Medical students have short memories and busy schedules - make sure to also send out one email during the week before your event, one more reminder the day before, and perhaps one on the day of…
- Begin compiling a mailing list to use for future events.
- Arranging food:
- Make sure that people know what's expected of them (i.e. everyone brings something). If you can coordinate who's bringing drinks, etc - great. If not, don't stress, these things generally work out - but try to keep your bases covered.
- Try to gauge the number of participants ahead of time, so you know if your space it too large or too small. A good rule of thumb is that too small a space is better than too large a space (even 100 people look like nothing sitting in a 500 person auditorium, but 40 people in a space designed for 20 looks pretty nice!).
Running this event:
- With help set up the food, and make sure that the projector is on.
- Get everyone settled and eating then conduct introductions all around. Full-mouthed talking is always a nice ice-breaker.
- Introduce the movie (see materials in packet) and hit PLAY.
- If discussions start during the movie, ask people to wait or pause the movie.
- After the movie, get a discussion going, and try to focus it on the points of the movie most relevant to the health care crisis. For example, whether or not it was silly of Moore to take a bunch of people to Cuba is besides the point - he is a sensationalist to a certain extent. However, the influence private insurance has on our healthcare and on our health is very important…
- Try to moderate the discussion so that everyone gets a chance to talk and ask their questions. Don't let the policy wonks and bigmouths take over the conversation. If talk flags, try to revive it by using some questions (from the packet) or by shifting the talk to an issue that seemed to create more conversation. Remember, a lot of this depends on the chemistry between participants, and the level of participation will likely increase as people get to know each other throughout the year and gain more of an understanding on the issue.
- Once interest begins dieing out, or after an hour or so, wrap up the conversation and thank everyone for coming. Be sure to tell everyone when and where the next meeting will be.
- DON'T WORRY! Even if you felt uncomfortable running the first event, keep holding potlucks regularly and you'll become an ace moderator!
Follow-up
- Email a short thank you and notification on next potluck to all attendes.
- Email jrf@amsa.org with your impressions of this format and any suggestions.
- Join AMSA's health policy discussion by marking the Health Policy box and continue your meeting's discussion online with other AMSA members nation-wide.