Press Release

CAFÉ SOCIETY PRESENTS “DYING FOR A SOLUTION: THE POLITICS OF HEALTH CARE” APRIL 1-4

The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council and the Illinois Campaign for Better Health Care host discussions around Chicago on health care reform.

CHICAGO – Health care in the United States is at a crisis point. In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control reported that 43.6 million Americans, including 6.8 million children, did not have health care coverage. In this election season, how to reduce or eliminate uninsured Americans is a major part of each presidential candidate’s platform. But what are the differences between the proposals offered by Senators Clinton, McCain, and Obama?

Join The Public Square at the IHC’s Café Society at locations throughout Chicago on Tuesday, April 1st through Friday, April 4th to discuss health care reform and the 2008 elections. Speakers from the Illinois Campaign for Better Health Care will be at all locations. These discussions are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required.

The complete schedule of Café Society locations and speakers is:

Tuesday, April 1

  • 7:30-8:30 p.m. at Intelligentsia Coffee (3123 N. Broadway St.) featuring Lydia Wright and Jon Handelman ,CBHC Outreach Coordinators

Wednesday, April 2

  • 12:30-1:30 p.m. at Chicago Cultural Center’s Randolph Street Café (77 E. Randolph St.) featuring Lydia Wright and Jon Handelman ,CBHC Outreach Coordinators
  • 7-8 p.m. at Pause (1107 W. Berwyn Ave., Berwyn and Broadway) featuring Megan Meagher ,past Associate Director, Health Care Justice Campaign

Thursday, April 3

  • 7-8 p.m. at Caffe De Luca (1721 N. Damen Ave.) featuring Jessica Palys, past CBHC Faith Caucus Organizer
  • 7-8 p.m. at Valois (1518 E. 53rd St.) featuring Jonathan VanderBrug, Director, Health Care Justice Campaign

Friday, April 4

  • 5-6 p.m. at Ron’s Barber Shop (6041 W. North Ave., Oak Park) featuring Kathleen Duffy, CBHC Communications Director

What is Café Society?

Café Society is a project designed to foster a more robust civil society, more cohesive and interactive communities, greater media literacy and a more informed and engaged citizenry through weekly coffee shop conversations about contemporary social issues. It taps the growing coffee culture as a vehicle to promote conversations between strangers (a cornerstone of democratic practice) about relevant social issues, with a focus on the theme of citizenship, broadly defined, and critically examined.

The discussions are open to anyone interested in talking about issues in the media and their relevance to the community. Topics are posted on www.thepublicsquare.org each Friday. The conversations are led by trained facilitators who keep the action lively, but friendly.

ABOUT THE ILLINOIS CAMPAIGN FOR BETTER HEALTH CARE

The Illinois Campaign for Better Health Care is a grassroots coalition of more than 300 local and statewide organizations representing consumers, health care workers and providers, community organizations, seniors, religious, labor, disability rights organizations and other citizens concerned about health care and wellness. The Campaign for Better Health Care (CBHC) was founded in 1989 on the belief that accessible, affordable, quality health care is a basic human right. In 2002, we launched the Health Care Justice Campaign (HCJC) to continue the fight for health care for all Illinois residents. Organizations involved in the HCJC are: the Illinois Hospital Association, Illinois AFL-CIO, the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians, the Metropolitan Healthcare Council, the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, United Healthcare and over 100 other organizations.

ABOUT THE PUBLIC SQUARE AT THE ILLINOIS HUMANITIES COUNCIL

The Public Square at the IHC fosters debate, dialogue, and exchange of ideas about cultural, social, and political issues with an emphasis on social justice. Programs promote participatory democracy by creating space for public conversations.

For more information about The Public Square at the IHC, please visit www.thepublicsquare.org or call 312.422.5580.

The Illinois Humanities Council is an educational organization dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Through its programs and grants, the IHC promotes greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. Organized as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1973, the IHC is now a private nonprofit (501 [c] 3) organization that is funded by contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations; by the Illinois General Assembly; and by the NEH.

D A R E T O K N O W

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