Category: Press Release

Categories
Event Healthcare Press Release

Day of Remembrance and Mourning

Working Together Mississippi to host a Day of Remembrance and Mourning for those Mississippians who have died from COVID 19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A PDF file of this release can be downloaded here.

WHO: Working Together Mississippi

WHAT: DAY of REMEMBRANCE AND MOURNING –
A Memorial Service honoring the lives of the 10,000 Mississippians who have died from the COVID-19 pandemic.

WHEN: Tuesday, November 2, 2021 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

WHERE: Smith Park, 302 E. Amite Street, Jackson, MS

Interfaith clergy leaders and others from around the state will hold a memorial service to honor the lives of the 10,000 Mississippi residents who have died since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The prayers and tolling of the bells will be a dramatic way to highlight these tragic losses, and give a voice to the grief felt by all who loved and knew those who have died, and remind us that there will be more to come.

All are welcome to attend.

Working Together Mississippi (WTM) is an emerging statewide organization of diverse religious institutions and nonprofits committed to crossing the divisions of civic life, race, religion, economic status and political ideology, working to build a more prosperous and healthier Mississippi.

CONTACTS:
Dorothy Triplett at (601)750-1855 (call or text)
Rev. Hugh Hollowell at (601) 207-0609 (call or text)

Categories
Healthcare Press Release

Mississippi Religious Leaders Deliver Clergy Letter Urging Healthcare Expansion to Mississippi Elected Officials

A PDF file of this release can be downloaded from here. 

Mississippi Religious Leaders Deliver Clergy Letter Urging Healthcare Expansion and Announcing Constituency Building Action to Mississippi Elected Officials

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHAT: Press Conference (in-person socially-distanced)

WHEN: Wednesday, March 10, 2021, 3:00 PM

WHERE: Mississippi State Capitol, 400 High Street, Jackson, MS (begins in Rotunda on 1st floor)

CONTACT: Dorothy Triplett, 601-750-1855 (call or text), or Hugh Hollowell, 601-278-0609 (call or text)

Following up on a March 5th press conference involving clergy from a multitude of faith traditions, religious leaders with Working Together Mississippi will deliver copies of a letter urging State elected officials to expand healthcare options through using Medicaid funds under the Affordable Care Act. This letter has been signed by over 300 interfaith clergy leaders from across the state and will be delivered to elected officials, including Governor Tate Reeves, Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, Speaker of the House Phillip Gunn, and all members of both legislative chambers. The letter and its signatories can be viewed at https://workingtogethermississippi.org/2021/01/13/healthcare/

Working Together Mississippi is engaged in a multi-year effort to build a constituency for increasing access to healthcare by using Federal funds available through the Affordable Care Act. Ninety percent of these funds will come from the Federal government, and the remaining 10% required match will be funded by a self-tax paid by hospitals in our state. No State money would be required.

In the letter being delivered, clergy express their support for this proposal, citing moral obligation in addition to both the human and economic costs of the State’s failure to expand Medicaid. Current signatories include: Jews, Muslims, and Christians, including Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, Missionary Baptists, The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Church of God in Christ (COGIC), Christian Church Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ and Church of Christ Holiness. WTM has clergy representation from Baptist Memorial Hospital System involved in this campaign.

Working Together Mississippi is also conducting a series of Civic Academies around Mississippi training a minimum of 500 lay leaders who will in turn educate other voters and their legislators on the issues at stake for our health, our communities, and the future of our healthcare system.

# # # 

Categories
Healthcare Press Release

Building a Constituency to Improve Our Healthcare System Leaders Support Healthcare Legislation

Mississippi Religious Leaders Announce Support Campaign to Build a Constituency to  Improve Our Healthcare System

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

WHAT: Press Conference (in-person socially-distanced, and virtual)

Link to register for virtual attendance: http://bit.ly/3kw6Mwf 

WHEN: Friday, March 5, 2021, 11:00 AM 

WHERE: New Horizon Church International, 1770 Ellis Avenue, Jackson, MS 

CONTACT: Dorothy Triplett, 601-750-1855 (call or text), or Hugh Hollowell, 601-278-0609  (call or text) 

Working Together Mississippi is engaged in a multi-year effort to build a constituency for increasing access to healthcare by using Federal funds available through the Affordable Care Act. Ninety percent of these funds will come from the Federal government, and the remaining 10% required match will be funded by a self-tax paid by hospitals in our state. No State money would be required. 

Nearly 300 interfaith clergy leaders from all across the state (and the number is growing)  have signed a letter expressing their support for this proposal. These clergy include: Jews, Muslims, Christians – Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, Missionary Baptists, The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, COGIC, and Church of Christ Holiness. We also have clergy representation from Baptist Memorial Hospital System.

Working Together Mississippi will conduct Civic Academies around Mississippi training a minimum of 500 lay leaders who will in turn educate other voters and their legislators on the issues at stake for our health, our communities and the future of our healthcare system. 

We are all aware of the large numbers of uninsured Mississippians, the rural hospitals that have  gone bankrupt and closed, leaving large areas without emergency rooms, and thousands of people without hospitals within a reasonable distance. The human cost of these conditions is immeasurable. The economic cost is huge. 

The issue of access to healthcare is not political, but it has been politicized to the point that our political leadership has refused to take advantage of Federal programs that would allow 300,000 additional Mississippians to receive coverage, and would help our hospitals reduce the cost of uncompensated care that currently runs $660 million per year. It just doesn’t make good sense to turn down 19,000 new jobs, and the opportunity to generate $1 billion a year in economic activity and produce $50-100 million in new tax revenue. This failure to act has caused severe detriment to Mississippians, especially in the midst of the pandemic.

Please join us at the press conference to learn more about this statewide effort!

 # # #

A PDF file of this press release is available for download here.