Date:
Wednesday, October 15, 2008, 9 a.m. PST
CONTACTS:
Sookyung Oh (English, Korean), 323.937.3703, ext. 206, soh@nakasec.org
Julie Chinitz (English, Spanish), 206.568.5400, julie@nwfco.org
Juyeon Ryu (English, Korean), 323.937.3718 juyeon@krcla.org
Call for Artists to Draw Attention to Children’s Health Care
(Los Angeles, CA) – Community groups across the country are calling on young artists from pre-K to 12th grade to submit artwork that promotes the importance for health care for all kids. From today until November 21st, the Health Rights Organizing Project (HROP) will be accepting art submissions as a part of the “America’s Future Starts with Healthy Children” campaign. This creative and timely campaign is being coordinated by a collaboration of non-profit community groups.
“The art exhibit is timely because we need to make our legislators and the public aware of how that important public programs, like Medicaid and the SCHIP, are effective in improving health care, so they will be inspired to expand them and guarantee that kids get the care they need,” stated Diana Corcorran, a parent active with Idaho Community Action Network (ICAN).
Eva Henry, mother and parent advocate with the Colorado Progressive Coalition (CPC), which is helping to organize the exhibit, knows why this event is important. Before authorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Henry’s daughter needed tubes placed in her ears to prevent hearing loss, but they didn’t have insurance. “I was making too much money for Medicaid but not enough to get my employer’s insurance,” says Henry. “We couldn’t find a doctor that would insert the tubes without health insurance. Instead, they gave her antibiotics. She became immune to the antibiotics.”
“This is what will happen if SCHIP is not reauthorized: children will lose their hearing. If we had SCHIP back then, [her hearing] would have been fine,” says Henry.
In Los Angeles, art teacher Eunsoon Lee said, “I am excited to work with the Korean Resource Center to organize drawing sessions with kids, including my own young children. I believe that what we are doing is vital to raise awareness about of children’s health care coverage. If we can afford to take care of our children’s healthcare costs, families will worry less about how to pay for rent or mortgage and other basic needs.”
The artwork will be exhibited in two sites early next year to promote health care for American children and families in Washington, D.C. The art exhibition is a continuation of HROP’s efforts to strengthen and expand SCHIP, due to expire in March 2009. Artwork should be sent to: “Art Exhibit”, c/o NAKASEC, 900 Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90019.
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FOR INTERVIEWS:
To contact Eva Henry, please call her at CPC, 303-866-0908
To contact Diana Cocorran, please contact Bret Noble, ICAN, 208-249-2541
To contact Eunsoon Lee, please contact Juyeon Ryu, KRC, 323-937-3718
