January 24 “Red Alert” Tour Stop at Glendale Memorial Hospital in CA
Speech by Michelle Verne of San Fernando Valley Feel the Bern
As nurses, we always want to lift up the voices of patients. So, here to share a personal story, please welcome Michelle Burn of Field of Burn San Fernando Valley.
Hey everybody. Um, again, my name is Michelle Burn. I’m the president of Field of Burn San Fernando Valley. um an affiliate of our revolution, the largest grassroots organization started by Senator Bernie Sanders a decade ago.
First, I want to thank National Nurses United for inviting us to co-sponsor this event. We’re proud to stand with nurses who show up every day for patients, often in a system that does not show up for them.
I want to start with something personal. my brother and I. He’s over there at our tables. We’re born right here in this hospital. Um, this hospital isn’t abstract to me. It’s not a line item or a business decision.
It’s where my family story began. And it’s part of the story of this community. And that’s why we’re here. Because the truth is simple. We don’t live in a health care system. We live in a sick care system. A system that waits until people are desperate. a system that treats care like a privilege instead of a human right.
Hospitals like Glendale Memorial and USC Verdugo Hills are under threat. Not because they aren’t needed, but because of political choices. Medicaid is being cut. Hospital funding is being cut. And at the same time, funding for ICE is exploding. And those choices affect people’s health every single day. People are afraid to go to the doctor, afraid of immigration enforcement, afraid of medical debt. They know one appointment, one scan, one emergency could bury them in debt they’ll never escape. They know it can mean choosing between rent and care. They know it can mean opening up a good friend who just to stay alive. So they wait, they put it off, but when they finally come in, the only place left is the emergency room.
I have family members and close friends with no insurance at all. They’re gig workers and independent contractors that keep this economy running. They use the emergency room for all their care, medical, mental health, even dental. And this should never be normal. People are pulling out their own teeth because they can’t afford to see a dentist. That is not a health care system. That is a sick care system.
For me, this is also personal in another way. I’m Japanese American and 75 years ago, members of my family were put into internment camps by the US government. So when I say ICE is triggering deep generational trauma, I mean that literally. This is fear, this surveillance, this constant stress in our daily lives. And we know that stress is one of the leading causes of death in this country.
We pay taxes to support our communities and keep people healthy and safe. Yet, healthcare is treated like something people have to earn. And when it’s treated that way, marginalized communities are hit first and hit hardest. Nurses see this every day. They live this every day. And that’s why this Red Alert hospital matters. It’s about drawing a line and saying, “We refuse to accept the symptoms based on fear, delay, and crisis.
Here in California, we actually have a solution. Calcare single parent guarantee healthcare for all is being reintroduced to the assembly floor. And we’re going to fight like hell to get it passed. So, let me ask you to chant with me. When I say what do we want, you say CalCare. And when I say when do we want it, you say now.
What do we want? When do we want it? Now! What do we want now? And when do we want it? Now!
And if CalCare isn’t passed this time again, we are not going anywhere. We are building a movement strong enough to make sure it does because healthcare justice is not optional.
At Feel the Bern San Fernando Valley, we believe healthcare is a human right. We believe in single-payer healthcare, dignity, compassion, and care without fear.
If you believe that, too, come find us at our table. Sign up, get involved, and help us build the movement we need to win. Because until we change this, we don’t have we don’t live in a health care system. We live in a sick care system.
Thank you.
For more information, visit Feel the Bern San Fernando Valley and National Nurses United:
https://www.feelthebernsfv.org