"Melanie's March" on Washington Leaves from Philly Today

From PHAN in today's inbox:

Health Care Reform Activists to Walk
From Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.

Eight-Day March Will Stop In Delaware, Maryland, Washington.
Marchers Will Deliver Message to Congress: People Are Dying. No More Delays.

Philadelphia, PA - At noon on Wednesday, February 17, hundreds of health care reform activists and supporters will kick off "March to the Finish Line for Melanie" - an eight-day walk from Philadelphia to Washington, DC to call on Congress to finish the job on health care reform.

The march will honor one health reform advocate who recently lost her battle with breast cancer after her insurance company refused to pay for the treatment her doctors said she needed.

During her illness, Melanie Shouse was a tireless campaigner for health care reform for all Americans, and the marchers will be bringing Melanie's message to Congress that not one more person should have to suffer or die for lack of health care in our country.

The "March to the Finish Line for Melanie" group will arrive in Washington, DC the day before President Obama's Health Care Summit. As the summit is set to begin, the marchers - and supporters expected to number in the hundreds - will be there to tell lawmakers enough is enough!

They will deliver the message that Members of Congress have had plenty of time to discuss and debate health care over the past year, and now it's their job to make it happen. It's time to get it done and get it done right. Congress must deliver the change people voted for.

The March starts on Wednesday, February 17 with a noon rally at the Mother Bethel AME Church in Philadelphia and proceeds through University City and Southwest Philadelphia, ending the first day with a vigil at Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park. The group will hold rallies in Wilmington and Baltimore and host meet-ups for local residents in small towns along the way. Supporters and press can track the walk online at http://melaniesmarch.com/.

Members of the press are invited to join the group at any point along the route and interview walkers - some of whom have personal stories about the difficulty of securing access to affordable health care in America today. They will be accompanied by an RV with Internet access.

WHAT: "March to the Finish Line for Melanie" - A Walk from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. for Health Care Reform

WHO: Pennsylvannia citizens and activists from Health Care For America Now, Families USA, SEIU, Catholics United, The AME Church, Health Rights Organizing Project, Interfaith Worker Justice, National Physicians Alliance, Pennsylvania Health Access Network, Philadelphia Unemployment Project, UFCW, and Raising Women's Voices (List in formation).

WHEN: TODAY, February 17, 2010 to 2 p.m. (Walk will end in D.C. at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, February 24).

WHERE: Starting point is Mother Bethel AME Church, 419 S. 6th St., Philadelphia

For more information: www.melaniesmarch.com.

The Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN) is a coalition of 50 groups from across the Commonwealth working to improve access to quality health care through the expansion of health insurance coverage. PHAN organizes health care consumers, works to raise public awareness of the need for health system reform, and supports public policy proposals that will provide affordable access to quality health care for all Pennsylvanians. To learn more, go to www.pahealthaccess.org.