Actions to StopVAPrivatization: Local Press Conferences&VA Gate Actions CanUHelp
For fiscal year 2017 which ended 9-30-17, forty percent (40%) of all outpatient appointments at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and clinics across America were already privatized.
That is, the veterans requesting healthcare have been sent to private health care providers via the Choice and Community Care programs.
We do not yet know that percentage as of the end of FY219 which was 9-30-19. But we estimate that it is possible now 50% of all outpatient appointments are now pushed into the private sector.
The Veterans for Peace Work Group is seeking volunteers to help Save Our VA. Volunteers work doing what they can such as conducting local press conferences and "public awareness increase" actions at VA hospital or clinics gates on one or more work days a month at shift change (say for 7 to 8 AM or 3:30 4:30 PM). Hold up a Stop VA Privatization banner. VFP flags, wear you VFP shirts, hand out leaflets to VA workers as they enter or leave. Do the same for vets. Other volunteers write letters to the editor or op ed for their local papers, lobby their House and Senate members' staffers at local offices and take any other actions they decide to do.
We hope to help set up 100 or more Save Our VA Action Teams in 100 or so communities with VA healthcare facilities.
Right now there are people working(some a good deal and some just when they can) in 27 states and 54 communities. Sign up and we send you the spread sheet of interested people in your community.
Our objective is to use the media to help educate veteran families, VA workers and the general public that the VA is rapidly being privatized, that 8 of 10 vets using the DO NOT want the VA privatized, that the VA has 49,000 vacant jobs, that most of these jobs are healthcare jobs, that private care costs possibly 30% more than the same care provided at the VA, and that vets want the VA Fixed, Funded & Fully Staffed.
IF YOU ARE WILLING TO TRY TO HELP US, PLEASE COMPLETE AND SUBMIT THIS SURVEY. We will then contact you about helping to organize this effort. What ever local people decide - that is what will be done. This is NOT a top down driven effort. We, as members of the Vets for Peace Work Group, will try our best to help your local team be successful by giving advice where we can! Thank you!
PS The survey is 9 questions and takes about 3 minutes to complete.