Freedom Mann is a patient with Medi-Cal who has been able to manage their HIV medication, become housed, receive continuous medical care and find supportive community with Venice Family Clinic. When Mann heard about the $1 trillion cuts to Medicaid funding coming in H.R. 1, including $600 million in cuts to HIV and STD programs, they felt they had to speak up.
“I heard about the cuts and felt so compelled to do something that I wrote a letter to my members of Congress about Venice Family Clinic,” Mann said.
A time for taking action
With pending cuts to Medicaid funding, it’s likely that fewer of Venice Family Clinic’s patients will have insurance coverage. That means the government will not reimburse Venice Family Clinic for those patients’ care, and that will be less revenue to support our comprehensive programs and services.
That didn’t sit right with Mann. So they wrote about the impact Venice Family Clinic had on their life, and how they hoped the Clinic would always be able to do the same for others, especially Medicaid/Medi-Cal recipients.
“When I was living in a tent and too deep in addiction to show up to appointments, Venice Family Clinic didn’t give up on me,” Mann wrote in the letter. “A doctor, nurse and case worker came to my tent to give me medical services and do my labs. That is what Medi-Cal made possible. That is the kind of care that saves lives.”
The power of patient and community voices
Letters to legislators can be a powerful way for patients and community members to show their elected officials what’s important to their constituents.
“When our community tells their representatives that funding for community health care matters to them, that message has the power to influence funding and policy decisions that directly impact their lives,” said Venice Family Clinic advocacy coordinator Amber Guerra.
Patient and community voices are a vital part of our advocacy. Take these steps today to learn how to speak up and protect Venice Family Clinic and other federally qualified community health centers like us.
- Get informed: Find your representatives’ contact information
- Get engaged: Give them a call, or send them a text, email or written letter
- Inspire change: Share what you’re doing with your family, friends, neighbors and connections on social media