GALVESTON, Texas - UTMB students will lead a community forum on health care solutions for the Houston-Galveston area at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30 in the William Temple Episcopal Center, 427 Market St. in Galveston.
The forum is one of hundreds organized across the nation to solicit input on health care issues and solutions for President-elect Barrack Obama and Tom Daschle, former Senate majority leader, whom Obama has nominated to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"One focus of our local discussion will be UTMB's efforts to provide access to health care including the underserved in post-Hurricane Ike world, said Dr. Victor Sierpina, professor of family and integrative medicine at UTMB.
"The disruption of UTMB's health system has created threats to patient care and limited access to care. This is a microcosm of what is occurring nationally," he said.
The meeting will include large and small breakout groups and the results will be posted to Sen. Daschle's Website that has been set up to collect opinions.
"UTMB's plight and that of our patients is an example of a problem that, if solved, can help shine a light on the larger, national health care system," said Janice Tyler, president of the UTMB's chapter of the UTMB American Medical Student Association.
Students will lead the discussion groups with assistance from Drs. Barbara Thompson, chairwoman of family medicine, Ben Raimer, Senior Vice President, Health Policy and Legislative Affairs, Michael Malloy, director of UTMB's Osler Student Societies, along with other UTMB faculty and staff.
John Podesta, Chair of the Obama transition team, asked UTMB to organize the forum.
:: Download Health Care Community Discussion Participant Guide