In states across the USA ADAPT groups took the issue of supporting the ideals behind our proposed Community Attendant Services Act, CASA. The vehicle was our annual Independence Day action, which this year fell on June 28th. Republicans and Democrats were challenged to support CASA and the idea of reforming the institutional bias in our national long term care policy and redirecting some of the institutional funds to community based services. Both parties were asked to support CASA in their state party platform and to communicate our concerns to their respective Presidential candidates.
In Kansas state democrats invited KS ADAPT to present the issue at their convention on July 10, which ADAPT plans to do. The Republicans were a little more reserved, but said they would include the issue either as a plank in their platform or as a resolution at their convention. KS ADAPT had lots of media coverage, complete with a red, white and blue background and in the foreground the international access symbol and the donkey and elephant symbols of each party. Half of the newspaper article covering the action was quoted directly from our proposed platform language.
NW Ohio ADAPT had called for appointment but were told by the Republicans they would schedule at sometime "more convenient." ADAPT showed up on June 28th, the more convenient time for ADAPT. Eventually the staff dragged an allegedly "out of the office" sweaty Republican Party Chairman out of a back room, closed door meeting to set up a meeting time with ADAPT.
Dayton was ahead of the game last February when they met with their local Democrats and got them to support CASA. June 26th they had a follow up meeting at which the Democrats promised to work it through their network, and on July 26th hold a joint press conference with ADAPT to announce the party's support of the issue. The Republicans on the other hand, patronizingly explained they only support candidates and candidates have issues when 15 Dayton ADAPT folks hit their office on June 28th. The "out of town" party Chair appeared when ADAPT announced they would wait until he showed up. Whoops. The Chair, a condescending so and so, who smiled prettily for the TV cameras finally agreed to meet in late July when he would be better prepared. The headline in the local paper: Disabled Protest: ADAPT Offers to Save Ohio Money by Being Treated at Home or in a Community-based Center.
Zan Thornton reports Georgia ADAPT took a blitzkrieg approach, and hit Newt Gingrich, the Democratic Party, GA Nursing Home Association (which they have been visiting and shutting down regularly, and which changed its name from the GA Health Care Association shortly after ADAPT's last action), GA Governor Miller, the Republican party, and more.
According to Joycelyn Sky & Brenda Thompson nine people from CORD went to Massachusetts Republican Headquarters in Boston and got Vernon, the Executive Director, to fax a letter to the Dole for President Campaign along with a copy of the draft platform language. His letter said, among other things, "Care receivers should be able to make a choice as to how care is received between nursing homes and home-based and community-based care.... By doing this we empower people and not governments and not institutions which is part of the American tradition....I urge you to meet as soon as possible with ADAPT..." At the Democratic Headquarters they found only a secretary, but she promised their Executive Director would fax CORD a copy of the letter he would fax to the Clinton for President people.
Connecticut ADAPT, 3 strong, hit both state Democrat and Republican parties headquarters. "The Republicans would not come down from their inaccessible, unmarked offices" Juliet Meyer reported. So she, Claude Holcomb and Barbara Monty raised their mighty voices and chanted and rang the doorbell for an hour and a half until the Republicans, worn down, agreed to write the Republican National Committee a letter and fax ADAPT a copy. The Democrats invited the trio into their air-conditioned, accessible office while they faxed the suggested platform language to DC and their state headquarters too. (Small is beautiful too!)
After the groundwork laid in Houston, North TX ADAPT was invited to the state Democratic convention. They went and presented the issue of CASA and redirection as well as the draft platform language. The Democrats obliged and included strong language in their platform. Shortly thereafter, Austin ADAPT went down to the Republican state convention in San Antonio. Although this was supposed to be at the invitation of the Harris County Chairman Polland, the welcome was extremely chilly. Undaunted, ADAPT confronted the platform committee with the issue and draft language. There was a strong cadre of supporters, even in this super conservative crowd, and they included support for changing the focus from institutions to community in their state party platform.
PA ADAPT got their state to send letter to all 700 plus on the waiting list for consumer controlled services, telling them that PA ADAPT is out there fighting for them.