More Ideas for organizing a RHCD event:

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Ideas for organizing a RHCD event:

For information on Rescue Health Care Day:
1-888-SAY-NO-MC or RHCD HOTLINE AT 818-718-6024

Choose the Format(s) that suit your group:

Teach-in
Hour of Protest (11:30-12:30)
Minute of Silence (at Noon) for those who have died or been harmed by their HMOs or other managed care plans
Rally or March
Town Hall Meeting

Video: Physicians Who Care and the National Coalition of Mental Health Professionals and Consumers are producing a video that can be shown at each RHCD event and will be distributed to the media. The video includes an introduction from Karen Shore, Ph.D., the originator of the idea for RHCD and President of the National Coalition of Mental Health Professionals and Consumers, a cosponsor of RHCD. This will be followed by HMO Horror Stories told by consumers or family of medical and mental health care consumers who were harmed by managed care, accompanied by the picture of the person who was harmed or who died at the hands of their managed care company. The video will close with an message from Ronald Bronow, M.D., President of Physicians Who Care, the other cosponsor of RHCD. Contact Dr. Bronow at Bronowrhcd@aol.com.
Theme - Blow the Whistle on Managed Care - Ordering Whistles You may wish to use the theme "Blow the Whistle on Managed Care." Many RHCD rallies may include an open mike for consumers to tell their stories. After each story, the audience can blow their whistles, creating a swell of protest. Whistles can be blown during a march, too. We will be using green whistles, as green is the color of new life, of hope. You can purchase whistles from local toy and specialty item distributors or through Dr. Bronow at Bronowrhcd@aol.com. Sell them at the rally.
Green Ribbons: People across the nation can also begin wearing Green Ribbons and wear them on April 1st. The wearing of Green Ribbons marks their hope for a new health care system. Green Ribbons can be obtained inexpensively (500 for about $34) from The NY Amster Novelty Company/AA Awareness Ribbons at 718-738-0977. Distribute them before April 1st. Sell them at the rally.
Get more people to help: Have each person who is helping immediately get commitments from 10 friends, relatives, or colleagues/co-workers to help only for the weeks until April 1st or for just one small task. Have each of them get 5 more people. This will be called your "10 X 5 helpers."
Outdoor or Indoor Rally? Either can be good. You will likely get more citizen involvement and media attention for an outdoor march or rally. Figure on 1 _ - 2 hours for either. Or, start indoors and then hold an outdoor march or rally. Hold rally in a well-known and accessible place: Indoor - a school, church or synagogue, public hall, auditorium at a college or high school, town hall, library; a place that is known by the local citizens. Outdoor - march down a well-known avenue; rally in front of State Capitol building or government office; in front of the offices of a major insurer; at a shopping center; a park; a place that is known by the local citizens.

Have or carry signs and placards. Blow your whistles. Wear green ribbons. Develop slogans: "Blow the Whistle on Managed Care," "No More HMOs," "Shut Down HMOs," "End Corporate Health Care," "Rescue Health Care," etc.
For outdoor rallies and marches, you will need a permit (call the Police Department, Police Commissioner, or Police Chief), equipment for microphones, a stage or platform, and outdoor speakers, maybe some place for trash...and maybe a tent or roof in case it rains. There are companies that arrange such things.
Get helpers/workers to disseminate fliers and other publicity:
Workers are needed to create a big attention-getting event. Each organizer immediately get a commitment from 10 people. Ask each of them to get a commitment from 5 people. Then have several organizing meetings until April 1st. The commitment will only be for two months. Use shame and guilt if you need to. Many people will be needed to call other organizations and invite them to participate and to put up fliers all over town.
Advertise in local newspapers and publications, ask people who have been hurt by managed care to call.

Getting other organizations involved. Focus on consumer groups and unions most, then professional groups: Consumers of health care are the most important. A march of professionals will mean little. Focus on getting patients, consumers of care involved and as participants in the April 1st events. Unions are important (we have the American Federation of Teachers, the United Teachers of Los Angeles, and others). Contact your local teacher's union. Contact your local Labor Council, which is made up of many unions. Some of the organizations we already have are: the National Gray Panthers, American Psychiatric, American Psychological, Natl Assoc of Social Workers, Medical Society of Maryland. Contact the local branches of any union, consumer and professional group. Invite them to attend, ask them to inform their members of the local event. Get consumers and consumer activists from organizations for the disabled and from all illness organizations, the local branch of the Gray Panthers and AARP, the local Labor Council (all local unions have reps on the Council), district branches of all unions. Other ideas are: disseminate fliers all over college campuses. Students will protest. Get them into the public schools for kids to take home. While we still want other organizations to sign on to RHCD and send in a Response Form so we can list them, the most important thing now is to invite all consumer and professional groups in all areas of health care (emphasize medical and mental health care) to attend and let their members know when and where the rally will be on April 1st, asking them to inform all their members. If they officially "sign on," so much the better, but the emphasis will be on inviting them and their members to attend. YOUR LIBRARY HAS LISTS OF ORGANIZATIONS - ASK FOR HELP AT YOUR LIBRARY
Fliers - Help offered in creating your local flier:
There are two great flyers that can be adapted to your event. For one designed by Joyce and Judy Bronow and Chuck Goodman, contact Chuck Goodman at 818-718-6024 or Padi200@aol.com. Chuck can put your local information into the flyer and mail you a copy. Also, Janet Susin designed a flyer for the Long Island rally and I am sure she would be willing to share it with you for you to adapt. Contact her at JASusin@aol.com. There are certain things that must be in your flyer to attract people. Large Letters for the title RESCUE HEALTH CARE DAY and APRIL 1, 2000 and the main points of the flyer.
Main points are phrases like:
- Stop the Suffering!
- End the Hoax of HMOs!
- End Managed Care!
- Don't Let Your Family be the Next HMO Victims!
- Don't Let Your Family be the Next Victim of Managed Care Greed!
- Bring the Whole Family - Health Care is a Family Affair!
- No More:
  - Limited Choice of Doctors
  - Drive-through Hospitalizations
  - Restrictions on Needed Care (set this in a visually attractive way).
  - Join the Nationwide Protest!
- April Fool's Day Protest Rally
- End the HMO/Managed Care Hoax!
Choose a few of the above. Do not clutter the flyer with any more words, explanations, or statements than are necessary, or people will not read it. Make sure you clearly state the place and time of the RHCD event or rally. If it is outdoors, state "Rain or Shine".
Disseminating fliers:
Get volunteers to put fliers all over: Storefront windows (any store - pharmacies, businesses, supermarkets, clothing stores, small stores, large stores). Library community bulletin boards. Use e-mail if possible, too. Start mailing fliers to local doctors, psychotherapists, and other clinicians' offices right away. Ask them to copy the flier and send to each of their patients, to others they know who would want to know about it. Also ask them to leave a stack in their waiting rooms. Ask them to put fliers in their window if they have a storefront window. Ask them to do all this throughout March.
Each RHCD event needs at least 500, 1000 or more people to attend if you want to make waves and really create change. The media, business, and legislators are interested in big numbers - really big numbers. GRANDIOSE THINKING GETS YOU BIG RESULTS: If you strive for 100 people, you will get 50-75. No one will know you met and despite your hard work, you will not influence those in power. If you strive for 500, 1000, or 3000 people, you will get hundreds or thousands at your event. If you strive for 10,000 - 20,000 attendees, you will get 5000-10,000 or more. Small towns should strive for 500 attendees. Small cities should strive for 3000-5000 or more attendees. Large cities should strive for 10,000 - 20,000 or more people and will get 5000, 10,000 or more! How? Copy and past the instructions below and distribute them along with a copy of the flyer for your local event. If there is a local RHCD rally in your area, copy the instructions below and mail them with the flyer for your local event. Click here for more instructions re: fliers, etc.
Media Attention - RHCD Public Relations expert, Elias Castillo, will help: Contact your local radio stations. Most will do brief "public service announcements," or PSA's. See if they will announce your RHCD event throughout March, 2000. Starting now and throughout February and March, call reporters and assignment editors as well as the editorial boards of local newspapers, TV, radio. Tell them that RHCD is happening all across America, and you want to talk to them about the local event and why it is necessary. Ask for appointments if possible to explain what you are doing for RHCD and why it is so crucially important. Ask the editorial board to do an editorial in support of RHCD. With reporters, do not be pushy. Do not tell them they ought to write an article on this to inform the citizenry. You want to inform reporters of what you are doing and its significance, not push them to write on it. Create a brief Press Kit - your flier announcing the event, articles that have mentioned RHCD, brief explanation of why this is so important. Suggest to any reporter you contact that he/she contact our Public Relations Director, Elias Castillo. They will be impressed that we have a Public Relations Director!! ALSO: If you have your location selected and time ready, Elias will distribute a press release to your local newspapers! Call him!
Help available: Elias Castillo, our PR director, will help you with media work (Eliasac@aol.com). Suggest to any reporter you contact that he/she contact our Public Relations Director, Elias Castillo at Office (650) 368-4489, Fax (650) 368-7633, Eliasac@aol.com. They will be impressed that we have a Public Relations Director!! If you have your location selected and time ready, he will distribute a press release to your local newspapers! Call him!
Invite legislators or other locally known people to speak: Contact your favorite legislator...or the legislators you know are most outspoken about health care and invite him/her/them to the rally.
Raise funds - each of your 10 friends X their 5 friends to pool their money, ask organizations, and ask friends, relatives, colleagues, employers, etc. for money. You need it now. You don't need huge amounts, but you must raise several hundred dollars to pay for a meeting place, a permit if you need one, and publicity (fliers, local ads, etc.). Be courageous and ask everyone you know for $5, $10, $50, $100, $500, depending on who they are and what you think they can afford. If you are genuine about what you want to do with the money, you will be surprised how many of those you ask will give you money. Each locality needs to raise their own funds, as the cosponsoring organizations operate on a shoe-string.
Advertise your local event in local newspapers, publications, shopping guides, etc. Aim the ads at people and families who have been hurt by their HMO or are frustrated at HMO lists and red tape and restrictions on health care.
More Ideas for what to do at your rally, march or Teach-In:
Wall of Shame: Obtain consumer stories, build a Wall of Shame, and have it in your march or rally. See section below (Joel Segal, Wash., DC) for information on how to build a Wall of Shame.

Die-In and/or Memorial Service:
Die In: Build or obtain mock tombstones and have people lie at the foot of the tombstones to dramatize the fact that people are dying because of HMOs and other managed care organizations. Have each pallbearer wear a placard stating one of the methods HMOs use that harm people.
Examples: Drive-Thru Mastectomies and Deliveries
                       Restricted Lists of Doctors
                       Denials and Delays of Care
                       Your call is important to us. Please hold....

Hold a Memorial Service for those who have died due to the restrictions of managed care. Plan the Memorial Service around the Noon Minute of Silence. (See below, Joel Segal, Washington DC for details).

Carry or have a coffin - put a slogan on it "HMOs can kill " or whatever seems right to you.

Hand out Petitions: At some of the outdoor rallies and marches, participants will hand out petitions for reform of health care and/or against corporate managed care that will be collected and sent to a legislator known to be against corporate health care. Contact bronowrhcd@aol.com or create your own.
Dr. Sam and The Managed Care Blues Band: - Audio tape of anti-managed care songs available here ("You're a One-Hip Momma," "You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me Blue Shield"). Use a sound system that can play one or two songs at your rally. Dr. Sam will donate 15% of each sale of his tape to the National Coalition of Mental Health Professionals and Consumers for RHCD if you purchase it through www.rescuehealthcareday.com.
Invite doctors to burn HMO contracts: Dr. David Jaffe in Maryland and others have publicly burned their HMO contracts. This can bring attention from the media.
Invite a Gospel Choir to Sing
RHCD is just the beginning:If you choose, do things and create slogans that let people know that RHCD is just the beginning of the nationwide protest.Organizations may wish to continue working together to bring about significant change.
What others are doing:
1. Washington, DC: Joel Segal. Segal's organizations also have a "Wall of Shame". Beverly Humble (301-229-3754, Bevvy1@erols.com) will give you instructions on how to build it. They took some or all of the 200+ horror stories collected by Robert Raible (you can get them from here) and mounted them on a Wall of Shame that they can carry with them and have used in other anti-HMO rallies. They will also hold a Memorial Service for those who have died due to managed care, which fits in with the Minute of Silence idea. They will also have a "Die-In" dramatically focusing on the fact that people are dying because of managed care. They will carry 15 or 20 mock tombstones with them and at the designated site, they will have people lie down at the tombstones to say that "this is what we are talking about - people are dying!"
2. Cincinnati: There will also be an outdoor rally with whistle blowing. They will start with appropriate music, speakers, and consumer stories. Rep. Ted Strickland (D-OH) will be a speaker at the Columbus indoor rally, and they hope to then bring him over to Cincinnati for that rally. They are also hoping to get a representative from the Surgeon General's office.
3. Los Angeles: At the indoor part in the Paramount Studios Theatre, they are planning to have consumers who have been harmed stand at the rally and have an actor read a 1-minute synopsis of how they were hurt by managed care. In the outdoor march down Melrose Avenue, they will carry a coffin and will include disabled people in wheelchairs in the march. They will have people with aprons selling green ribbons and whistles for $2 apiece.
4. San Jose: Peggy Mahony is working to organize a march from a local Senior Citizen Center to a shopping center 1/2 mile away.
5. Click on some stars on the maps page to see even more of what others are doing.