|
At the February, 2003 General Membership Meeting, Vote Health members voted for a combination of new and old Executive Committee members for a two year term. In addition to the activists listed below, Rosa Watts, a union actvist from SEIU 250 and long time Vote Health supporter, agreed to be an alternate to the Committee.
Tory Becker is a long time activist with LAGAI/Queer Insurrection, committed to health care reform. As part of her work with the California Prison Focus Project, she counsels prisoners with HIV and Hepatitis C, and works against the death penalty. She is currently employed with the Veterans Administration as a nurse practitioner in substance abuse and mental health. She formerly worked in that capacity at Fairmont Hospital, where she developed a devotion to keeping Highland and Fairmont Hospitals fully serviced and open.
Allan Brill has worked in hospital and clinic settings (federal, state, county, UC, private and non-profit) for over 30 years, as a psychiatric social worker, physician representative (Director, California Assoc. of Interns & Residents & SEIU), Registered Nurse labor representative (CNA), and patient advocate. Allan has been a co-founder of 3 statewide and 6 community health advocacy coalitions, including Vote Health, and has been a single payer activist since 1972. He has also served for many years on several Bay Area AFL-CIO Labor Councils.
Bradley Cleveland has worked as the communications and research coordinator for SEIU Local 616, which represents staff at the Alameda County Medical Center, for the past 13 years. He has served on the county budget committee and the Medical Center strategic planning committee. He is currently on leave from the union to work for the Medical Center on its strategic plan for Highland and Fairmont hospitals.
Kay Eisenhower - Chair has been a union activist for the past 30 years with a special interest in health care as a former ACMC worker. She is retired from her job as a librarian, in SEIU 616, for which she is currently a delegate to the Alameda County Central Labor Council.
Jim Forsyth is a retiree from General Motors, having worked on assembly lines for 34 years, and a UAW Local 1364 member. He was the second highest signature gatherer in Alameda County for Prop 186, the single payer initiative, and joined Vote Health soon after it was formed. He is currently the newsletter editor of the Hayward Demos Democratic Club, Secretary of the Congress of California Seniors Region 3, Treasurer of So. Alameda County Gray Panthers, and Secretary of the South Hayward Parish.
Becky McFarland is a social worker in the California Children Services of the Alameda County Public Health Department, Family Health Services Division. She worked at Highland Hospital for many years as a medical social worker. She currently works weekends at Washington Hospital and sees a lot of uninsured and underinsured patients, whose stories are her motivation for activism with us!
Irma Swygert is an SEIU Local 250 shop steward who has been a health care worker for 25 years. After both a friend and Irma were involved in car accidents involving great physical injuries, "I felt that health care needed to be overhauled and not so driven by the money. I saw that I could be instrumental in some changes for the betterment of all people, especially those in need of adequate health care." We admire greatly how she gives of her time in these efforts.
Thanks to all of these dedicated people-without them, Vote Health wouldn't exist.
|
