Maryland/DC Member Political Organizers Drive Successful Scrubs Project

Joyce Dukes, Brian Alston and Pam Honeyghan (from left) at a scrubs signing event at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Maryland.

1199SEIU’s Maryland/DC Division recently collected more than 1,500 scrubs signed by healthcare workers and others to be delivered to Congress on September 23 to show their support for healthcare reform.

Three experienced Member Political Organizers (MPOs), Brian Alston from Genesis in Towson, Maryland, Joyce Dukes from Maryland General Hospital in Baltimore, and Pam Honeyghan also from Maryland General Hospital, powered the effort for the three-week campaign. They were joined by MPO Calvin Lucas of United Medical Center in Washington for one week.

The MPOs traveled to healthcare institutions, talking to members about the project while also participating in other healthcare reform related events in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Here are their impressions of the campaign.

Joyce Dukes. I’m a cancer survivor. There were times when I was being treated when my institution couldn’t provide the services that I needed so I had to go to other hospitals where my workplace didn’t cover my care. Even though I have insurance through my job, I had bills because I went to get the services I needed. A healthcare crisis is an eye opener for everyone.

“We’re getting people to talk about their needs and desires and starting conversations about healthcare reform. I think we’ve been sleeping on this for so long. My goal is to work with my Union and our facilities to inform and educate through my own experience why we need this change.”

Brian Alston. “To get healthcare reform, we need to hear from people working in healthcare. We are hands on and dealing with affects of our current healthcare system. We see it, we deal with it, and we live it.

“Healthcare reform is important to me because I need it, my children need it and my wife needs it. It should be equal and affordable for all of us whether you are a government worker or a housekeeper. Reforming healthcare is a question of justice. I think that people understand that access to healthcare should be equal all across the board regardless of your age or status.”

Pam Honeyghan. “Working in the field, I see so much happening. When we’re caring for patients who don’t have insurance, their stay is like a short recycle. Patients come back with the same complaint because they didn’t stay in the hospital long enough. I see patients with diabetes who don’t get proper care and they have complications. They run out of supplies and aren’t getting better. We have to find a way of getting medication to people who need it.

“Doing the scrubs campaign has been interesting, getting people’s opinions on how they feel about care, doctors and other healthcare issues. It makes a difference to let Congress know that people care about their health and their family’s health. I am hoping that they’ll take our opinions and consider how they would feel if it were them without insurance. I’m hoping Congress with take all of this into consideration – the opinions and needs of the people they serve.”