Prince George鈥檚 County has the highest number of uninsured people in Maryland, , and a new coalition aims to change that.
includes advocacy groups, such as the Prince George鈥檚 County NAACP; some local clinics and health providers; and unions such as . They鈥檙e working together to figure out how to get a universal primary care system that would include the uninsured in Prince George’s County.
“What we’re doing now is meeting with legislators, letting them know what we’re hearing on the ground from our community members,” said Cathryn Paul, the government relations and public policy manager at community organization CASA.
Paul said the pandemic put a spotlight on disparities experienced by communities of color, individuals who entered the country illegally, and immigrant communities. Roughly 1 in 3 Latino Prince Georgians were uninsured before the pandemic.
鈥淲e are literally losing community members because of lack of access to care,” Paul said. “Individuals should not have to choose between life and death because of the color of their skin, because of their immigration status.”
, Prince George鈥檚 County Council member Deni Taveras (District-2) asked those gathered to keep faith.
鈥淏ecause we will engage in this conversation. And I feel very confident that we will have the support that we need to get this out,鈥� Taveras said.
If a draft proposal is introduced soon, Paul hopes that by the council鈥檚 late summer recess, a bill could be ready and introduced no later than September.
“There is not one member of the council that does not believe in getting primary care to every single Prince George’s resident,” Paul said.
Watch the kickoff below.
