Oregon Interfaith Health Justice Campaign
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A PDF of the guide will be available May 17, 2010. |
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon has launched the Oregon Interfaith Health Justice Campaign (OIHJC)—a joint project of EMO along with the Archimedes Movement and Oregon Action. The Campaign is made up of a diverse group of Oregonians united by our belief in the inherent dignity of every human life. The God-given dignity that we affirm in each other creates a responsibility for individuals and society to foster health and wholeness in each other and to care for each other in times of sickness or injury. We envision a health care system that provides affordable, high quality medical care to everyone in Oregon and the United States. This care should not be rationed on the basis of wealth, but offered on the basis of our equal human dignity.
Translating the ideals of our faith into social action is not always easy. Issues related to health and wellness and our health care system are complex. The Interfaith Health Justice Campaign has developed the following tools to help people of faith better understand these complexities and enhance our collective advocacy efforts to create health care systems that serve all of God’s people equitably:
- Regional forums will bring together a diverse group of Oregon’s health reform experts to dialogue with participants about health reform issues.
- A health reform policy guide and other Web and print resources that equip Oregonians with an in-depth understanding of health reform and next steps of advocacy for a just health system.
- Action alerts will urge advocates to voice their values to legislators at crucial times in the political process.
The first step to getting involved in the Oregon Interfaith Health Justice Campaign is to sign our statement of conscience. By filling out the information below you are publicly affirming your support for high quality affordable health care for all. Once you have signed, your registration will ensure that you are notified about campaign events in your area and avenues of advocacy that will help you take action. Together we hope to make our shared vision for a just health care system a reality in our state and nation.
Oregon Interfaith Health Justice Campaign Statement of Conscience
My religious tradition teaches me that fostering health and caring for the sick and injured are basic human responsibilities rooted in the foundational principle of human dignity. I believe that the crisis of American health care is not merely an economic or political problem—it is a moral challenge to all of us—as people of faith, and as citizens of a democracy. I believe that access to health care is a fundamental human right and an important measure of social justice. My commitment to basic human dignity leads me to endorse the following five foundational principles for a just health care system:
- Inclusive—Comprehensive health services should be provided to all, regardless of ability to pay, age, race or ethnicity, personal health history or immigration status.
- Effective—Our health care system should contribute to our wellness by providing high quality services that have proven value in promoting health, including primary and preventative care, and effective management of chronic disease.
- Affordable—Health care should be affordable for individuals and families, and the health care coverage strategy should be affordable and sustainable for society as a whole.
- Equitable— Particular efforts should be made to eliminate disparities in health care access, quality and outcomes that affect different racial and socioeconomic groups.
- Secure—Health Coverage must be guaranteed to all and must be continuous. This means that health reform must address the issue of portability in a way that guarantees all are seamlessly insured regardless of employment status, and it should insure that health coverage is not denied (or made prohibitively expensive) to those who have pre-existing conditions.
By filling out the form below, I commit to raising my voice to advocate for a more just health care system by:
- Talking with my friends, family and co-workers about the need for a more just health system.
- Communicating my values concerning health and health care to my elected government representatives.
- Taking other actions as my time and resources allow.
Health Care Reform is front and center in Congress and the media, and its direction will have an important effect on our communities. EMO’s Oregon Interfaith Health Justice Campaign is now scheduling interfaith community forums on health care reform that will help Oregonians understand how complex reform proposals will affect them. The forums will bring a region’s faith communities together to connect their religious values to the health care reform debate and to better understand how the health care system is affecting their community.
If your congregation is interested in hosting or participating in a forum, please contact EMO Public Policy Director Kevin Finney at kfinney@emoregon.org. This is a great opportunity to gather the diverse faith groups of your community around an issue that affects us all.
View our letter to Oregon Senators
To sign on to the letter, contact Kevin Finney with your name and congregation.
View useful resources for investigating and acting on Health Care Reform.
For any additional information, contact EMO Public Policy Director Kevin Finney at kfinney@emoregon.org or (503) 221-1054, ext. 204.
