Healthcare Reform Topic of Discussion at Local Forum, 19 November at MCC

With healthcare reform at the forefront of the national political agenda, two local organizations have come together to sponsor a community forum that centers on dialogue, rather than debate, as a means to understanding the issues and the implications of reform.

“Our hope is to extend, deepen, and in some cases, change the nature of the conversation about healthcare reform,” explains Mary Whittaker Duncan, a Grand Haven architect who organized the forum.

The forum—A Healthy Dialogue on Healthcare Reform—will be held Thursday, 19 November 2009 at 7:00 p.m., at Muskegon Community College’s Stevenson Center, room 1100.

Sponsored by the Progressive Women’s Alliance Lakeshore and the Muskegon Community College Ethics Institute, the forum is designed to give the community a closer look at the broader issues and ideas in the debate over healthcare reform. A panel of regional professionals in economics, medicine, medical ethics, and holistic health—including Dan Gleason, DC; Katrina Olson, MD; Andrew Wible, PhD; and Lody Zwarensteyn, president of the nonprofit community coalition Alliance for Health—will respond to questions from the audience and from moderator Kurt Troutman, MCC political science professor, using the college’s audience-response technology, an innovative format which allows Troutman to engage the audience in the dialogue.

“Healthcare is the central moral issue of our time,” says Andrew Wible of the MCC Ethics Institute, emphasizing the importance of a thoughtful dialogue on the subject.

The need for good information is paramount, adds panelist Katrina Olson, MD. “People are confused and fearful about proposed changes to our health care system,” she said. “But the truth is we can’t afford to stay on the same path we’re on. We believe that thoughtful dialogue on the issues will help participants come to their own conclusions about the need for and opportunities in health care reform.”

“The current dialogue on single payer versus insurance companies trivializes the issue and avoids the more important questions,” adds panelist Dan Gleason, DC, of The Gleason Center in Spring Lake. “Questions like, how can we get at the inefficiencies, inequities, and over-utilization in the current for-profit system? How do we make decisions about what interventions to fund? And how can we get consumers and providers to change their habits? It’s time for us to move beyond the rhetoric and into the real issues in healthcare reform.”

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Andy Wible at 231.777.0626 or email Andy.Wible@muskegoncc.edu . 

Andy Wible, PhD, is a full-time instructor of philosophy at Muskegon Community College and director of the Ethics Institute of Muskegon Community. 

Dan Gleason, DC, is a chiropractor, kinesiologist, holistic healthcare practitioner, and founder of The Gleason Center which provides a compassionate and holistic approach to patient care.

Katrina Olson, MD, is an internal medicine specialist with offices in the Bear Creek Health Center in Muskegon.

Lody Zwarensteyn is the president of Alliance for Health, a Grand Rapids-based nonprofit organization committed to advancing high-quality, patient-centered, cost-effective healthcare system.

Kurt Troutman, moderator, is a professor of political science at Muskegon Community College.

 

The Ethics Institute of Muskegon Community College is committed to promoting ethical awareness, reflection, and critical analysis in the community, and developing more engaged, virtuous, compassionate, and just people. 

Progressive Women’s Alliance Lakeshore is a nonpartisan political action committee that works to support and promote progressive ideas, issues, and candidates along the lakeshore from Muskegon to Grand Haven to Holland.