Community Health

September 10, 2007 | Filed Under Give time/money, Health 

“God is Absolute Truth. I am human; I only understand relative truth. So, my understanding of truth can change from day to day and my committment must be to truth rather than consistency.”
-Mahatma Ghandi

Fortunately for us, Michael Moore’s commitment to truth includes his consistent humor. Watching Sicko! was an important moment for me. It brought up the idea that we don’t value life. LIFE as a whole, not life for the people we think are worthy of it based on their doing what pleases us. The good that I found in Moore’s latest offering–also his most impactful–was not only truth, but shining examples of what’s possible. If Cuba can have universal health care, so can we. Moore was able to depict the characteristics of love and care from the countries he highlighted with universal health care. The doctors he spoke with wouldn’t turn someone away because they didn’t have health care and didn’t want to work within a system that allowed or forced them to.

There are free clinics in major U.S. cities, but most offer only primary care. To my surprise and satisfaction, I came across a health center in Chicago that offers a range of primary and specialty care services for the uninsured. The clinic, called CommunityHealth, was founded in 1993, and has served over 30,000 patients. Each year, they serve 6,000 patients, taking on 125 new patients each month.

CommunityHealth is funded almost entirely on public donations from individuals, foundations and corporations. More than 500 volunteers work with the organization, donating over 33,000 hours of their time in 2006. Moore would be proud.

To learn more about CommunityHealth and the work they do, visit CommunityHealth.org. If you, in fact, value life and would like to make an online donation to assist the continuance of the essential work of this organization, please do so here.

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