Health Care Working Group

Engaging our spiritual values in the health care dilemma

ICPJ’s Racial and Economic Justice Task Force has recently branched out to create a new Health Care Working Group to help engage congregations in a moral and spiritual way on the health care issue. This group has drafted a “core values statement” to highlight the fundamentals of what we believe:

Health Care Core Values Statement:

“We believe that in a just and moral society every citizen must receive access to health care and equitable coverage of services. Every citizen deserves the reasonable expectation of a healthy life. In this time of transition, we seek this new vision of health and health care for our brother and sister Americans.”

The Health Care Working Group of ICPJ would like to offer your congregation a chance to talk more about the current health care crisis, your own fundamental values related to health care, and your visions for a just health care system. Our goal is to promote a space for people of faith and conscience to think critically about health and health care.

How can we support you?

• Schedule us to host a workshop for your adult education group (view a film clip of our workshop in October 2009 at Chelsea United Methodist Church);
• Share our Core Values Statement in your congregation’s bulletin to spark discussion;
• Get resources from our group to host a small-group discussion for your small faith group;
• Show a short film that highlights the racial and economic justice aspects of health and access to health care (borrow ICPJ’s copy of Unnatural Causes)

Please let us know if we can support you in any of these ways to engage your congregation in this critical current issue by emailing gracek@icpj.net or calling (734) 663-1870.

ICPJ’s Health Care Working Group Members: LaRon Williams, Jim Mogensen, Phil Kneesi, Diane Hunter, Larry Horvath, Lena Macfadden, Deborah Fisch, Heather Kofke-Egger, Alan Connor, Susan Grubb, Richard Durance, Grace Helms Kotre