Monday, January 10, 2011

Montgomery County Deserves Complete Health Care

The Montgomery County Complete Care Coalition (MCCCC) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit coalition of concerned residents dedicated to addressing the current and expanding needs for complete health care in Montgomery County Maryland. MCCCC has a simple message: The best medicine is complete care, not care limited by religious doctrine. Please join us supporting the complete and more accessible care promised by the Adventist Clarksburg Community Hospital proposal over a rival proposal from Holy Cross.

Adventist's proposal for a complete care hospital would meet all the public health goals of Maryland and Montgomery County. The Holy Cross proposal would not.
We have grave concerns about The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services which prevent Holy Cross from providing needed care and which conflict with health needs of patients, the county and the state. The MCCCC specifically identifies entire classes of essential care Holy Cross cannot offer, including--end-of-life care, control of STDs and HIV/AIDS through condom distribution and appropriate counseling, equal and fair treatment of same-sex families, as well as reproductive care.

According to a Washington Post article, Adventist challenges Md. official's backing of Holy Cross, "Reproductive health advocates across the country have raised concerns about religious directives that prevent Catholic hospitals from providing a variety of services, including fertility treatments, abortions, tubal ligations and hormonal contraception." True, but that's not the complete picture. Men as well as women, religious as well as secular leaders, general advocates for health and concerned Montgomery County residents from all walks of life support Adventist's plan. When it comes to life and health, don't we deserve the best? We have a better, viable alternative in Adventist Health Care.

The following people already signed on as Members and Supporters of the MCCCC:

Rev. Barry W. Lynn--Executive Director, Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Linda Mahoney--President, Maryland National Organization for Women
John W. Nugent--President and CEO, Planned Parenthood of Maryland
Laura Meyers, PhD--President and CEO, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington
Mike Hersh--Executive Director, Montgomery County Progressive Alliance
Melissa Kleder, MA--Interim Director, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland
Susan Martin--President, Montgomery County National Organization for Women
Lois Uttley--Director, The MergerWatch Project
Jill Brantley--Vice President, Montgomery County National Organization for Women
Judy Waxman, Vice President Health and Reproductive Rights, National Women’s Law Center
Holly Joseph--Community Liaison, Montgomery County National Organization for Women
Liz Callihan--Women’s Health Program Consultant
Bill Jacobs--Former Legal Observer, WACDTF
Deborah L. Horan--MSW, LCSW-C

Can we add your name to our list of supporters?

Thanks!

Mike Hersh

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