By Ashlee Gray, Staff Writer
The Bonaventure College Democrats and the Citizens Action Network of Southwestern New York teamed up to create an event that offered a perspective on an alternative health care system called single-payer healthcare.
Students and community members were encouraged to attend the event. The event started at 7 p.m in the Murphy Professional Building’s Dresser Auditorium and continued past the set end time of 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
The audience was mostly students interested in medical fields, but there were also a few community members present.
Betty Hooker, a resident of Cuba, came to the panel with a friend to hear more about single-payer healthcare.
“I heard about this event in the Olean paper,” said Hooker. “I know very little of single-payer healthcare, but I want to learn.”
Chris Stanley, Ph.D., professor of theology, is the faculty advisor of the College Democrats and the leader of CAN. He had previously worked with CAN to organize a screening and panel for the community over the summer.
The College Democrats wanted to hold an event that would explore healthcare.
“The number one topic my students were interested in was healthcare,” said Stanley. “As it happened, we had done a great program this summer on the topic. We had a pre-made program that already worked well, so we did it here on campus.”
The two-hour program featured a screening of the film “Now is the Time: Healthcare for Everybody” and an expert panel of medical professionals from the Olean community.
The panelists included Dan Strauch, CEO of Olean Medical Group Speaking, Athena Godet-Calogeras, chairman of the Health Care Access Coalition, and Kevin Watkins, public health director for Cattaraugus County.
“The panelists talked about some of the positives and the negatives of having a national or state single-payer health plan,” said Stanley.
The film described single-payer healthcare and argued that such a plan would save billions of dollars and provide universal coverage for all citizens. The panelists contributed by adding their own opinions about adopting single-payer healthcare.
“The amount we spend is not rewarded with great care,” said Strauch, who spoke for himself and did not represent Olean Medical Group.
“I would like for students to gain a better understanding of the complexity of the healthcare situation in America and the importance of exploring other alternatives besides those that are given attention in the media,” Stanley said.
The event aimed to not only make students aware of the current healthcare situation, but also raise awareness on other topics that are not discussed by the media.
“It is important for students to be educated on other health care systems, but it is equally important to be able to see through the smoke and mirrors and the false arguments that people put forward,” said Stanley. “To be able to sort out fact from fiction and practicality and ideology. To be informed educated citizens.”
