Disparities & Access

November 7, 2008 Posted by Linda Basch Linda Basch: What is your vision for an Obama administration?  Who are your ideal Cabinet picks? What new offices, government departments, or agencies would you like to see set up? (We invite your biggest-sky thinking here, far out of the box!) Chris Grumm: Barack Obama's election is an exhilarating opportunity for new leadership and especially for women's leadership. This is a truly exciting time in history and we are on the cusp of a transformational moment for the world. Obama, both now as he creates his team and after January 20th, can bring a critical mass of women to decision-making tables, harnessing the visions of the best and brightest women from business, academia, government and the nonprofit world. This step-change - the infusion of women's ideas voices and leadership across the board - will catalyze real change in this country and worldwide. Rather than creating new agencies, Obama needs to reframe how existing agencies work. Women must be recognized as experts and partners in every agency, ensuring their voices and solutions are integral to policymaking on every critical national and global matter. We have the opportunity to ensure established departments and agencies function for the benefit of us all, fully addressing conditions challenging women and families who are disproportionately affected by issues such as poverty or unequal access to healthcare. Below are a few examples of how existing departments could embrace a new, expanded focus to achieve greater impact:

• Every department collecting data on women;
• the Department of Labor making major strides on the economic self sufficiency of women and their families;
• the Department of Health and Human Services ensuring access to health care for everyone;
• the Department of State practicing global compassion and collaboration with foreign policy negotiations;
• and a Department of Education focused not only on excellent education for children but on the involvement of families and communities in the preparation of our future workforce.

November 5, 2008 posted by Vivienne Heston-Demirel Apologies for audio problems. It is 7:30 and we are going LIVE.

7:27pm

Michelle Goldberg - journalist/author, specialized in ideology and politics - said she was optimistic but that there were a few dark clouds, namely, anti-gay ballot initiatives that passed in California, Florida, Arizona (anti-gay marriage), and Arkansas (anti-gay adoption). All of the anti-choice initiatives failed. There is a potential for extreme right-wing terrorism, including attacks on abortion providers.

7:45pm

Andrea Batista Schlesinger - Executive Director, Drum Major Institute for Public Policy - just concluded her opening statements.

7:48pm

October 31, 2008 Posted by Linda Basch

Below is my exchange with Susan W. Kaufmann, Associate Director for Advocacy at the University of Michigan Center for the Education of Women, where she addresses issues important to women through research and action.  She holds an MS in environmental advocacy from the University of Michigan.

Linda Basch: What are the key issues facing women in your state?

October 28, 2008 Posted by Amy Allina, Program and Policy Director, National Women’s Health Network

October 24, 2008 posted by Linda Basch

October 24, 2008 posted by Silvia Henriquez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health 

If Latinas had a “cafecito”* with each presidential candidate, what questions would we ask?

October 24, 2008 posted by Vivienne Heston-Demirel

This week marks Health Education Week and Healthcare Quality Week.  In that spirit, we’d like to share with everyone links to sites that are producing wonderful work on issues relevant to women’s health:

October 24, 2008 posted by Linda Basch

As the election draws near, I’m pleased to announce a series of  posts this week from our experts responding to current hot topics in health.