by Christopher Sanchez
Daily Lobo
A discussion about last month's statewide health care summit left many community members wanting answers.
About 100 people attended a public comment meeting Wednesday, including 39 who voiced their concerns about New Mexico's health care system.
Doris Vician, a community member, said it is going to take a lot more than a public meeting to change health care in New Mexico.
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"It makes me extremely angry that we give lip service to so much stuff, and we don't do a damn thing, and that's the bottom line," she said. "We need to get off our rear ends and do something."
A committee mediated the public meeting and was headed by Jamie Koch, president of the Board of Regents. The committee was made of other regent members, UNM Hospital Clinical Operations members and a Bernalillo County commissioner.
Gidget McCook, a community member, said she was concerned about UNM Hospital not accepting patients who cannot afford health care.
"We stand united in demanding UNM Hospital be accountable to the public at large, regardless of tribal affiliation, country of origin or level of income," she said.
Koch said the committee was not there to answer questions or pass laws but to compile a report to be given to Gov. Bill Richardson with the concerns of the public.
"What you have there is frustrated people who don't have insurance," he said. "We don't pass laws - we have nothing to do about that, but they had the right to express their opinions."
Koch said the majority of the questions were answered during the governor's Health Care Summit in December, which was held for University and state leaders to address problems with the New Mexico health care system, including a large number of uninsured and underinsured people.
"Almost all the questions they had asked were in the summit report, and they were answered," he said. "The problem is that they probably hardly read the report."
Those who attended the meeting were given a report of the agenda discussed at the health summit.
The meeting lasted two hours, but there were 12 people who were not able to address the panel with their comments because of the time limit, Koch said.
He said they had the option of submitting their concerns in writing.
"They had to say quite a bit," he said. "One person spoke a long time, but we let them say what they wanted."
McCook said she was outraged with the date and time the comment session was held.
"Why in the world would you hold the meeting on a Wednesday afternoon, and why would you limit the time to two hours?" she asked the committee. "The deserving public is made up of human beings - we work, we are parents, and we go to school."
Koch said it was difficult to find a time that would accommodate everyone.
"We're sorry somebody couldn't come, and that's too bad," he said. "Those are issues that are really not issues. You can never make everyone happy."
More than 60,000 fliers were passed out to inform people about the public meeting, Koch said. The number of people who attended impressed him, he said.
Nicola Baptiste, a member of the Community Coalition for Health Care Access, said she wanted to address the problems of uninsured in New Mexico.
"I'm concerned for health care for all," she said. "I think it's one of the scandals of our nation that we are the only developed nation that does not take care of their citizens, and we have the resources to do it."
Baptiste said the idea of having the public speak out about the summit was a good idea.
"I think it's really good that they're doing it, but I think the process is a little one-sided," Baptiste said. "I was astonished by the rudeness of the panel, particularly the chairman of the panel."
She commended those who spoke during meeting, she said.
"I was impressed that people told their stories, and that they had the courage to tell their stories."
