NO ON PROP 54

A week ago I pulled up my old email list from my last position with the tuberculosis people. This was a list of public health workers and others in the health care field throughout the state of California. And I sent them this message:

Dear Friends,

As is well-known, we have a special gubernatorial recall election on October 7, 2003. What may not be well-known, however, is that along with the questions on the ballot about the governor and others vying for his job, there is a statewide initiative-- Proposition 54-- which is also on the October 7 ballot. This proposition is dangerous and 'bad medicine for California.'

Proposition 54 is sponsored by Ward Connerly and was named by him as the "Racial Privacy Initiative," but officially on the ballot as the "Classification by Race, Ethnicity, Color, or National Origin (CRECNO) Initiative." It can also be called the "Information Ban" for it will strip us of vital information in California for our public health care and education systems and the very welfare of our people.

As many of you know who work within the health care field, demographic data provide us vital clues on the impact, trends, incidence, and future direction of various diseases and health issues. We use this information to base targeted screenings, mobilize affected communities, produce culturally sensitive materials and effective outreach, maximize our limited resources, and limit mass hysteria and epidemics. Without this critical, life-saving demographic information, our public health system is decimated.

Proposition 54 will rid of us this very resource by disallowing us the ability to collect, analyze, and utilize data on racial and ethnic variations in health within California. Proponents of 54 will argue that there is a "medical research exemption" but this exemption is woefully inadequate in the needs for true and proper health care and only specifies "medical research," not the very type of uses mentioned above that we know save lives every day.

These are the very reasons why most of the medical establishment has come out against Proposition 54: California Medical Association, California Nurses Association, Kaiser Permanente, California Public Health Association, California Primary Care Association, California Conference of Local Health Officers, among many others. (To see the full list of medical and other organizations opposed to Proposition 54, click on http://www.informedcalifornia.org/endorsers.asp)

As your friend and an interested party in the public health and welfare of my fellow citizens, I urge you to find out more about this dangerous initiative by viewing the website of the No on 54 campaign: http://www.informedcalifornia.org, and especially its section on how it will effect our health care system: http://www.informedcalifornia.org/healthcare_01.shtml.

Spread the word, get involved, and make sure everyone knows about this initiative on the well-known recall ballot on October 7. (FYI: Many public employees are not allowed to take a position or express points of view on campaign issues; however, one can still pass along information that comes to them, such as this email, to others via a simple "FYI: For Your Information" or by spreading the word about it via one's personal time and personal resources.) You can also read more about this initiative on my own personal webpage devoted to the No on 54 campaign: http://www.reesesworld.com/sep03.htm.

Thanks for your time and the great work you do everyday on behalf of our state's and our people's health care. Remember, Proposition 54 is Bad Medicine for California!

Yours,
Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.
http://www.reesesworld.com

Who can you contact and help spread the word?