KNOW YOUR NONPROFITS Organizations advocate for universal health care coverage

"Know Your Nonprofits" is a weekly column in the Times-Standard that takes an in-depth look at nonprofit organizations throughout Humboldt County. This week's featured nonprofits are Health Care For All and Physicians For a National Healthcare Program (HCA/PNHP). Patty Harvey and Dr. Corinne Frugoni, co-chairs Humboldt HCA/PNHP, answered the following questions.

Briefly describe your organization and its mission: Health Care For All and Physicians For a National Healthcare Program are two nonpartisan organizations working together toward a common goal >> namely, to educate and advocate for universal health care coverage by creating a nonprofit, publicly funded health care program that is equitably accessible to all residents of the United States. We call such a program "single payer" or "improved Medicare for All." We are the Humboldt chapters of these two organizations.

When and why was this nonprofit founded? >> Both HCA and PNHP have been around for more than three decades, both founded on the same principle that health care is a right and not a commodity. The United States is the only developed country where residents routinely cannot afford the care they need or risk being saddled with debt when they do get care. A single-payer health care system would save money and save lives.

Is there anything you wish more people to know about the organization or the issues this nonprofit is trying to solve? >> We believe that people do know a lot about the issues and problems we are trying to solve, but many lack information about solutions. Having health insurance is no guarantee of health care. Under our current system, people have a choice of health insurance, but their ability to choose and access their own doctor or hospital is often severely curtailed by narrow networks and the ability to meet deductibles and pay auxiliary costs.

We believe that health care justice, social justice and environmental justice are inextricably linked. Poor people, people of color and immigrants face significant barriers accessing health care in the United States and are more likely to be uninsured or underinsured. People living in rural areas like Humboldt face increased difficulties finding affordable coverage. The results are calamitous: higher rates of preventable illness resulting in physical and mental suffering, bankruptcy and even death. Notably, COVID-19 infections in Humboldt County have exceeded five times that of other California counties.

We have a long way to go to eliminate racial inequities in U.S. health care, but a necessary first step is comprehensive, equitable coverage for everybody in the U.S. regardless of income, employment, gender, ethnic background or age. The only way to achieve this is with guaranteed, single-payer, Medicare For All which provides lifelong coverage for all medically necessary care, medications, free choice of doctor and hospital and funding of hospitals based on community needs, not profit. Everybody in, nobody out.

Currently, there are two excellent and comprehensive bills, one in the California State Assembly, AB 1400, and the other in the House of Representatives, HR 1976, that would create a single-payer health care system in the state and the nation, respectively.

Where does most of the nonprofit's funding come from? >> The funding comes from membership dues, donations and fundraising events.

How can people get involved with your organization? >> Anyone can easily become involved locally by contacting us at [email protected], through our websites, healthcareforall.org or pnhp.org, or by calling Patty Harvey at 805-844-6655 or Corinne Frugoni at 707-822-3141 or write us at HCA/PNHP, PO Box 4531, Arcata, CA 95518.

Tell me about a few of your organizations' recent accomplishments >> We have shown films at the Minor Theatre and The Sanctuary, given presentations for numerous community groups and hosted a major presentation at HSU. We write op-eds and letters to the editors of local newspapers and journals and have distributed thousands of pamphlets and news journals about our organizations' principles, proposals and work. We

have participated annually prior to the pandemic at the North Country Fair and every year in Pastels on the Plaza. We share information and events with local organizations like Cooperation Humboldt, AHHA (Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives), CARA (California Alliance for Retired Americans), OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), California Nurses Association and the North Coast Co-op. We have facilitated the passage of single-payer resolutions in our cities and CSDs (community service districts).

What challenges has the pandemic created for your organization and how has the nonprofit dealt with those challenges? >> The pandemic has curtailed our in-person presentations, public tabling and in-person monthly meetings. Currently, all our meetings are on Zoom. This has made it easier for some of our members who live far away to participate, but more difficult for those without access to the internet.

What's the best way for people to find out more about your nonprofit organization? >> See Question No. 5. Additionally, we are excited about an upcoming presentation by registered nurse Terry Winters and Maria Behan from the Sonoma Healthcare For All Working Group at our next Humboldt HCA/PNHP Zoom meeting on Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. They will present a comprehensive overview of single-payer health care, the problems with our current system, obstacles that exist and ways to implement single payer in the state and the nation. They will be available to answer questions from the audience. Please contact [email protected] for a Zoom link.

To participate in the "Know Your Nonprofits" column, contact Heather Shelton at [email protected].