What we do

Healthcare access in the United States has always been based on economic and social privilege, and in our effort to change this, we work to promote health and healthcare access in East Jefferson County with a particular focus on local, affordable, quality healthcare, including behavioral and dental healthcare. We seek to learn about barriers people in the county experience regarding obtaining timely, affordable healthcare, and assist with advocating for solutions. At the same time, we seek to educate ourselves on the current status of healthcare in the community, state, and nation. Past meetings included a discussion of state legislation that directly affects healthcare in our local area, information on exercise classes for seniors and the mobility impaired, a detailed webinar on the increasing role of for-profit companies in Medicare, and a discussion on various programs in the county to get local, fresh food into the hands (and bellies) of community members who might not otherwise have access to a farmers market or garden.

Health & Wellness is looking for a new person to organize the monthly meetings. Those on the email list will continue to get informal summaries of the Commissioners meetings at Jefferson Healthcare and the Board of Health meetings at Jefferson County Public Health, and other useful meetings, but there will not be regular meetings until we have a volunteer to organize them.

For more information on the group or to get on our regular email list, email health@l2020.org.

Concerned about the coming heat of summer and drought? Check out Local 20/20’s new page on Water Resources.

Jefferson County Public Health also has useful information on staying safe from the heat and working during times of poor air quality due to wildfire smoke.

You can read our Mission Statement and scope of work at: https://l2020.org/health-and-wellness/jefferson-county-health-care-access-group/ 

Activities, Past and Present

Organized in 2005, under the name of Jefferson County Citizens for Healthcare Access, the Health and Wellness forum focuses on improving the communication between the organizations that are concerned about the health and wellness of local residents.

We are an Action Group open to the public, working within the structure of Local 20/20 to continue our efforts. We are non-partisan and do not endorse candidates. Each meeting usually begins with education on topics ranging from Medicare privatization to the status and morale of our Public Health workers. During legislative sessions, we share information about bills of interest, and we watch federal legislation with the potential to impact local healthcare access. We pay attention to developments at our local hospital and Public Health Department and work with them to address our concerns and help implement solutions. We have an ongoing effort to publicize the problem of medical debt leading to long term financial problems, hindering access to healthcare. We work to ensure every resident of East Jefferson County has access to healthcare when they need it and feels safe and welcome when accessing their healthcare. This effort is in line with the United Nations’ declaration that Healthcare is Human Right.

Opportunities to Participate

There will not be further meetings until we have a new organizer step up. Please contact Angela at health@l2020.org to be included in the email chains.

Any future or ad-hoc meetings will be emailed to the list and announced on the Local 20/20 calendar as well as in the Local 20/20 weekly announcements.

Contact Info

For more information about the group, email Angela at health@l2020.org.

Last updated:Monday, September 23, 2024