#DemandAccess Activists Team up with Local Town Halls in Washington State to call for Healthcare, not Warfare!  May 23, 2024

#DemandAcccess and PSR National have teamed up with Washington PSR and others to form the Healthcare Not Warfare Coalition. This coalition has been organizing local town halls across Washington state to address the overwhelming injustice of healthcare inequity and medical debt, alongside the extreme cost of the United States military and nuclear weapons. Two town halls have taken place so far in Olympia and Tacoma, WA. A third will take place in Seattle on June 1st preceding Spokane, Bellingham, and Vancouver which will host town halls later this summer. 

The Olympia town hall, which took place on April 25th kicked off the series. The event featured stories from local healthcare professionals, and their struggles for justice in the healthcare system. By centering testimonials and the experiences of health professionals, the town hall aimed to collaborate among participants based on shared experiences and a search for justice. Presentations were made on the injustice of current access to healthcare in Washington state and across the country, and the comparison of outrageous amounts spent on the military and nuclear weapons. With the country’s total medical debt amounting to $220 billion, the cost of the new Sentinel missile program alone could cancel all medical debt and use the $45 billion left over to provide health coverage for uninsured Americans and invest in public health infrastructure. 

At the second town hall in Tacoma, WA, Logan Brau, MD, #DemandAccess Steering Committee member, presented to the audience how we can reprioritize our spending to reflect a more sustainable and just world.

PSR National supported these town halls through social media campaigns and advocacy. We featured a #DemandAccess Steering Committee member’s story about why they are working to demand access to healthcare. Hear Julie’s story on our TikTok and Instagram. 

The next town hall will take place in Seattle on June 1. Click here to register or learn more. Follow us on X, Instagram, and Facebook for more events and updates on the town halls as they continue to take place this summer.