April 17, 2007 

Local Medical Organizations Sponsor Cover the Uninsured

Community Meeting

Nearly 46 million Americans, more than 15 percent of our population, were without health insurance in 2006.  Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, its affiliated hospitals, Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital, the Sangamon County Medical Society and its Alliance, have again joined a national grass-roots campaign.  The local CTUW effort is part of a national campaign sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (www.CoverTheUninsuredWeek.org).

The group is offering a public program to help address the plight of the uninsured in conjunction with Cover the Uninsured Week (CTUW).  The free talk is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, at the Laurel United Methodist Church, 631 W. South Grand Ave., Springfield.

“Health, Healing and Hope” will be presented by Dr. Scott Morris, physician and minister at St. John’s Methodist Church and Health Center in Memphis, Tenn.  He is founder and executive director of the center, which provides affordable, quality health care to low-income uninsured working people, the elderly, their families and the homeless of the community.  His clinic is America’s largest faith-based health center for the poor. 
A combined interfaith choir also will perform as part of the program.  Additional sponsors of the event are the Greater Springfield Interfaith Association, Islamic Society of Greater Springfield, Springfield Ministerial Alliance, Jewish Federation of Springfield and Springfield branch of the NAACP.

For more information, contact Isabel Manker at the Sangamon County Medical Society, 525-0765, weekdays.  The local Web site is http://www.siumed.edu/news/CTUW07events.html.

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