For
Immediate Release:
August
22, 2003
For
information contact:
Nancy
Salandra 215/627-7255
Bob
Liston 406/544-5137
Marsha
Katz 406/544-9504
For
Rally: Bob Kafka 512/431-4085
www.freeourpeople.org
Updated MEDIA ADVISORY
Who: ADAPT, the national grassroots disability rights group
What:
Free Our People March- 144 miles, "From the Liberty Bell to Capitol
Hill."
120
people with disabilities, many using wheelchairs and other mobility
aids,
from across the U.S. will begin the march in Philadelphia, to be
joined
by an additional 80 people in Baltimore to cover the last half of the
march
to Washington, D.C., culminating when a planned 20,000 people gather
at
the Free Our People Rally on Capitol Hill to demand passage of MiCASSA
(S.
971 and H.R. 2032) and "No More Stolen Lives."
Where:
Beginning with a press conference at the Liberty Bell, in
Philadelphia,
PA, through
Delaware
and Maryland, and ending with a rally in Washington, D.C. on
Capitol
Hill.
When: September 4-17, 2003-day by day.
Thursday,
September 4
10:00
a.m. Press Conference at Liberty Bell (5th and Market).
(Sen.
Specter represented)
Travel
10.1 miles via Market Street to 38th Street, to Baltimore Ave.
(Rte.13)
Spending
the night in:
Glenolden,
PA /Delaware County Market St.
First
Presbyterian Church.
Friday,
September 5
Travel
16.3 miles on Rt. 13 and Business Rte. 13
Spending
the night in:
Wilmington,
DE, Goodwill Industries, 300 Lea Blvd.
Saturday,
September 6
Breakfast
provided by Amazing Grace and Goodwill.
Press
Conference in Wilmington, Rodney Square (King St. between 10th & 11th).
(Sen.
Joe Biden invited)
Travel
9.5 miles on Rte. 13
Spending
the night in:
New
Castle, DE, Victory Fellowship Church.
Sunday,
September 7
Breakfast
supplied by Bob Evans (County Library pkg. lot, Rte. 40).
Travel
8.8 miles on Rte. 13
Dinner:
Pig Roast by McMullin Family.
Spending
the night in:
Bear,
Delaware, Troop 2 Police HQ Parking lot.
Monday,
September 8
Breakfast
provided by Freedom CIL.
Travel
10.4 miles on Rte. 40
Spending
the night in:
Northeast
Maryland Nazarene Camp.
Tuesday,
September 9
Travel
12.5 miles on Rte. 40
Dinner
by Teens First of Hartford County and Arc of Northern Chesapeake.
Spending
the night in:
Harve
de Grace, MD.
Wednesday,
September 10
Breakfast
by Teens First of Hartford County and Arc of Northern Chesapeake.
Travel
14.9 miles on Rte. 40
Dinner
at St. Francis deSalles Church.
Spending
the night in:
Aberdeen,
MD, Estuary.
Thursday,
September 11
Breakfast
at St. Francis deSalles Church.
Travel
10.8 miles on Rte. 40
Dinner
by MD ADAPT at Cowenton Church.
Spending
the night in:
Whitemarsh,
MD, Cowenton Church.
Friday,
September 12
Breakfast
by MD ADAPT at Cowenton Church.
Travel
9.7 miles on Rte. 40
Spending
the night in:
Baltimore,
MD Patterson Park.
Saturday,
September 13
Noon-2
pm Press Conference Inner Harbor (Pratt and Light).
Rep.
Elijah Cummings expected, Gov. Ehrlich invited.
Travel
8.7 miles through Inner Harbor
Spending
the night in:
Halethorpe,
MD, Friends Med. Lab.
Sunday,
September 14
Travel
7.5 miles on Rte. 1
Dinner
by People on the GO (SABE Chapter).
Spending
the night in:
Jessup,
MD, Common Bay.
Monday,
September 15
Travel
11.8 miles on Rte. 1
Spending
the night in:
Beltsville,
MD, St. John's Episcopal Church.
Tuesday,
September 16
Travel
10.0 miles on Rte. 1 Rhode Island Ave.
Spending
the night in:
Washington,
D.C., Israel Baptist Church.
Wednesday,
September 17
Travel
last 4 miles to Capitol Hill, Upper Senate Park (Constitution between
New
Jersey & Delaware)
1
pm Rally/Press Conference- 20,000 people expected!
Sen.
Harkin, Sen. Specter, Rep Davis, Rep. Shimkus expected.
This
date is also the 20th anniversary of the first ADAPT Action!
Spending
the night in D.C.
Why:
Everyday persons with disabilities and people who are aging have their
lives
"stolen" when they are forced into nursing homes by Medicaid's
"institutional
bias." Disabled and older Americans, already at risk for
forced
institutionalization in nursing homes due to this institutional bias
in
Medicaid, are currently at a sharply increased risk. Budget woes in
nearly
all states have seen state legislatures slash state budgets,
especially
the Medicaid programs. Under Medicaid, states are not allowed to
cut
federally mandated services, like nursing homes, so first on the budget
chopping
blocks are the so-called "optional" services, like "home and
community
based" attendant services and supports. These "optional" services
are
the ones that help older and disabled Americans stay in their own homes
rather
than be forced into nursing homes and other institutions. "Optional"
services
are at additional risk under the proposed Bush budget, which would
cap
the amounts states spend for optional services while maintaining all
currently
mandated services (e.g. nursing homes) under Medicaid.
While
Congress and the states talk about a program-wide "fix," there is no
guarantee
that home and community based services will be protected, even
though
every poll on the subject has overwhelmingly underscored the need and
desire
for home and community based long-term care rather than
institutionalization
in a nursing home. On the contrary, states have already
begun
to cut services that allow people to remain in their own homes and
communities.
The
current state of affairs would be greatly improved by legislation
currently
in both houses of Congress that guarantees that disabled and older
Americans
would have a real choice in where they receive their long term
care
services and supports. That legislation, S. 971 and H.R. 2032, the
Medicaid
Community-based Attendant Services and Supports Act (MiCASSA) has
been
introduced several times since 1997, is widely supported by 600
disability
and aging groups, and has yet to be passed. While many have
likened
ADAPT to David going up against the Congressional Goliath, the Free
Our
People March and Rally can act as the slingshot that will draw the
attention
needed to force Congress to act and pass MiCASSA in 2003.
To
make a tax deductible donation to the March for food, water, accessible
porta-potties,
sunscreen, bug repellant, first aid items, generators, tents,
cots,
gas for equipment vans, personal assistants/attendants, drivers, and
lots
more, make checks payable to:
DIA
of PA, Inc.- Free Our People March
125
South 9th Street, Suite 700, Philadelphia, PA, 19107
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