by Maureen Hains
On Thursday, May 4, 2017, the House of Representatives voted to repeal and replace The Affordable Care Act. For most Americans, like myself, this was and is still a nightmare. Many are in shock. Many are hoping and praying the Senate does not pass it into law.
You can have all the money in the world, but if you do not have your health – you have nothing. This is why I’ve been firing up the “grill” for my Congressman, Dave Brat.
My name is Maureen Hains, and I started the Facebook Page – “VA 7th District Town Hall Meeting” on January 26, 2017. Two days later, I was given the infamous video from a Tea Party Fundraiser in which Congressman Brat stated women, like myself, were “up in [his] grill” about the Affordable Care Act. He couldn’t understand it… and he even proclaimed many of us are educated! Well, how about that?!
I started the Facebook Page because his staffers were giving many people, myself included, the run around about when the next Town Hall meeting would be. I did it kind of as comic relief, but with the video, it quickly became National and International news.
Like many Americans, even many of those who voted for him, I was concerned about Donald Trump’s qualifications and mental capacity to be presidential, let alone wisely govern. But I was even more concerned about the GOP’s push to repeal the Affordable Care Act and the possibility we could go back to paying more, or being denied coverage, for “pre-existing conditions” which can range anywhere from Acne to Parkinson’s Disease.
I wanted my Congressman and Senators to know how I felt about the Affordable Care Act. In March of this year, I sat with Senator Tim Kaine at a round table discussion in Midlothian, Virginia, and shared with him my personal experience with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
We heard many stories about pre-existing conditions, and I spoke on behalf of the many Americans (1 in 5 adults) who battle mental illness every year, and how the Mental Health Parity Provision in the ACA helped make it more affordable to obtain counseling and medication treatment in order to treat the illness before it progresses to hospitalization.
I reminded Senator Kaine that people in his position of power and wealth are not immune to the issues of our healthcare system, as we witnessed a few years ago with one of our Virginia State Senators, Creigh Deeds, whose son was denied healthcare because there wasn’t a bed available when he was in the midst of a mental health crisis. Would we treat stroke victims like we treat patients dealing with mental health crises? I would hope not. I hope one day we can stop treating patients with mental illnesses like they are criminals. But hoping is not enough. We must make a change.
With the repeal of the ACA, people battling mental illness were essentially told they may no longer have access to affordable care, but they can buy a gun.
So how do we fix things?
In the midst of my newly born activism, I quickly realized 2017 was a pivotal year for the Commonwealth of Virginia with the election for Governor, Lt. Governor, and all 100 House of Delegates seats. I wanted to get involved ,and I knew I had a decision to make to get behind at least one candidate.
When I researched who was running for the House of Delegates in the 68th District – where I reside – I found a candidate whose platform was clear, concise, and consistent with what I was looking for in a Delegate.
Dr. Dawn M. Adams has spent her entire career caring for and serving Virginians. As a Nurse Practitioner, she has worked tirelessly on the front lines. As adjunct faculty at Old Dominion University (ODU), Dr. Adams teaches health policy to doctoral students, advanced practice nurses, and healthcare executives. And as the Director for the Office of Integrated Health, a state-wide agency, she is utilizing her extensive knowledge and experience to create an infrastructure of health supports that is fiscally responsible and beneficial to communities at the local and State level.
When I realized the decision was clear, I immediately pulled out my wallet and gave to her campaign. Over the next few weeks, as I got to know Dr. Adams, beyond candidate and on a personal, human-level, I could see first-hand the authenticity, passion, and determination to step into a role she’s been called into and worked towards.
I too felt a calling.
I felt a calling to step up and step out of the role of just Facebook Activist and Podcast PerSister, and start knocking on doors. Through my podcast interviews with candidates like Sheila Bynum-Coleman, I knew the best thing I could do was to jump into a campaign for the candidate I believe in.
The Dawn of a New Campaign was born.
Working with Dr. Adams is a labor of love. I still work my full-time job and immediately after work I am canvassing, phone banking, and organizing. My weekends are packed with campaign-related activities. It is exhausting in all the good ways. I can sleep at night knowing I am helping to make a difference.
When the General Assembly once again voted against Medicaid Expansion, over 400,000 Virginians were denied affordable healthcare. This translates to about 1,600 of my neighbors and about 1,000 children in my locale who can’t receive medical or dental care without creating a financial hardship for their families.
Lives literally depend on getting the right person in office.
This is why I went beyond just supporting Dr. Dawn M. Adams for the House of Delegates in the 68th District – I became her campaign manager. I did so because I have a vested interest in the health of my District and the State in which we live. No one can do everything, but every one can do something.
I invite my fellow resisters, persisters, and constituents to get behind a candidate they too believe in. Help knock on doors. Help make phone calls. Help flip your districts Blue!
Support Dr. Dawn M. Adams Today
www.adamsfordelegate.com
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