Sound the Alarm for Health Care!

The current state of our nation's health system is truly alarming.  We continue to let people live sicker and die prematurely because of the lack of needed health care.  As the richest nation in the world, we can do better!  And as people of faith, it's time to raise our vision and voices for a health care future that includes everyone and works well for all of us.

In prayer and witness we have the opportunity to help transform public discourse from bitter partisanship to dialogue around shared values about the right thing to do.  And it doesn't get any easier than Sounding the Alarm in your community of faith.

In March of 2009, 350 communities of faith in Illinois led the way for us by ringing bells, blowing shofars, playing horns, and using other instruments of worship to sound the alarm.  Now, following the lead of the Faith Caucus of the IL Campaign for Better Health Care, faith communities across the country are sounding the alarm.  As part of the June Interfaith Week of Prayer for Health Care mobilization, people of faith will sound the alarm in the manner best suited to their faith tradition.  Many will do this the weekend of June 19 - 21, but any time is welcomed.

Feel free to use any of the resources below, or develop your own and share them with us, to sponsor your own Sound the Alarm event.

And... As you set the date for your event, please let us know so we can include your community of faith in the list of all those participating in the Believe Together mobilization.

• Prayer Litany for the Uninsured and Under-insured
  

• Sound the Alarm flier

• Event packet developed by the Faith Caucus of the IL Campaign for Better Health Care

• Video of the Illinois Sound the Alarm event    
  

• Information about the uninsured in your state.

Take action!

We know that prayer alone will not move our nation forward on health care reform.  We must participate in the democratic process by raising our voices about the importance of moral consideration in shaping public policy.  Choose an action below, or create an action of your own to let your lawmakers know that you want health care reform that reflects the faith-inspired values of compassion, community, concern for those who are vulnerable, stewardship of our abundant health care resources, and share responsibility.

• Distribute "A Faith-Inspired Vision of Health Care" and ask members of your faith community to sign it.  Then fax or mail the signatures to Faithful Reform in Health Care.

• Print postcards for members to write their own message to your members of the U.S. House and Senate.  (Because of mail security in Washington, DC, it is recommended that delivering them in bulk to the district offices is a more timely way to make your point!)