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Forming Chapters of SPAN Ohio | Print |
In order to build a grass roots movement strong enough to win enactment of the Health Care for All Ohioans Act (referred to here as “the Act”) guaranteeing coverage for all Ohioans, it is essential to build local chapters of the Single-Payer Action Network Ohio (SPAN Ohio) all across the state. This memorandum is designed to offer suggestions as to how such chapters can be established and the kind of activities they can carry out once they are formed.

Getting Started

Lay the groundwork for getting a chapter started by talking with others to see if they are interested in participating. There is a wide range of groups and individuals who are deeply concerned about the health care crisis, many because of the experiences they or members of their family have had to endure. Talk with  family members, neighbors, co-workers, retirees, people you socialize with, pray with, or work with, health care providers, community leaders and activists — in short, people from all walks of life who want to make a difference on one of the greatest social justice issues of our time.

Make use of SPAN literature, which will be provided upon request. Much of SPAN’s work is educational and we have many publications, brochures and memoranda which help explain what a single-payer system is and how the Act can resolve the nation’s and Ohio’s health care crisis, while at the same time helping to lay the basis for a national health care program.

When the preliminary spadework is done, hold a meeting. If you wish someone from SPAN Ohio to be present, call or e-mail us and we will make every effort to have a representative there.

The first meeting should address questions such as SPAN Ohio’s program, what it means to form a SPAN chapter, what kind of structure the chapter should have, how often the group should meet, when and where meetings should be held, and what kind of activities the chapter might wish to engage in. If possible, chapter bylaws should be adopted at that first meeting.

In order for a new chapter to obtain recognition under SPAN's bylaws, it must adopt chapter bylaws that are consistent with those of SPAN Ohio's and submit a list of at least 20 people living in the area who endorse the objective of achieving single-payer health care in Ohio.

Activities

Here is a list of actions and events in which SPAN groups in various cities have been involved:

  • Petitioning to gather signatures to put the Act on the Ohio ballot.
  • Securing endorsements for the Act.  Urging political bodies (such as city councils and county commissions), unions, community organizations, faith groups, professional societies, and student formations to adopt resolutions calling for health care for all and supporting the campaign to win adoption of the Act. Asking health care professionals, clergy, and elected officials to endorse the campaign in an individual capacity.
  • Organizing public meetings addressed by proponents of a single-payer system. Most of the speakers at these events have been physicians, sometimes from other states. Such meetings have drawn up to 130 people.
  • Organizing educational conferences.
  • Making SPAN literature available to participants at events such as Earth Day and AIDS marches.  Gathering signatures for the Act at such events.
  • Distributing SPAN leaflets by hand and by mail
  • Making selected books, SPAN buttons, and SPAN T-shirts available.
  • Testifying at meetings and hearings of public bodies in support of the Act.
  • Holding a news conference to condemn the taking away of health care benefits for tens of thousands of steel workers.

  • Holding a news conference to announce the launching of the campaign to win adoption of the Act.
This list is far from exhaustive in terms of all the things that can be done to popularize the single-payer cause and the Act.

What About Incremental Demands?

SPAN supports all measures which will improve the delivery of health care to the people of our state and nation.  At the same time, SPAN takes note of the limitation of all attempts to reform the current profit-driven system and advocates replacing it a single-payer system providing coverage for all.  We also take note that there are many groups already working to reform the present system. SPAN Ohio has a separate and distinct role to play in pressing for fundamental change.  Many SPAN Ohio activists have been involved in reform efforts, such as the prescription drug initiative.  They see no conflict — nor is there any — in working for such measures, while at the same time working through SPAN to achieve comprehensive health care coverage for all.


SPAN Ohio is Non-Partisan

SPAN Ohio welcomes the support of everyone, regardless of political affiliation.  SPAN is non-partisan and does not endorse candidates for political office.  Regardless of who wins any particular election, people from all political parties, as well as independents, need the comprehensive health care coverage guaranteed by the Act.

SPAN Chapters and SPAN Ohio

SPAN Ohio will render whatever assistance it can to support efforts of SPAN chapters around the state. Each recognized chapter is entitled to a representative of its choosing on the SPAN Ohio State Council.  To achieve chapter status, three things are required:  20 people signing a statement saying they support the objective of winning a single-payer system and the Act, adopting chapter bylaws, and a vote by the State Council granting chapter recognition.

How to Reach Us

Contact SPAN Ohio at:


 

NEWS AND OPINION
How You Can Help:
Circulate Petitions
Form a Chapter
Lobby Your Legislator
Obtain Endorsements
Write Letters to Editors
Make a Donation
Fundraisers and House Parties


"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."
–Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Single-Payer Action Network Ohio
3227 West 25th Street
Cleveland, OH 44109  (216) 736.4766