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AARP Gearing Up for Health-Care Reform Fight



Denyce Singleton addresses members of the local AARP chapter. The failure of invited guest speaker Francine Lang, assistant director of Environmental Health, to appear Saturday at a meeting of the St. Croix chapter of the AARP allowed members to discuss a topic that appeared dear to them — health-care reform.

Members wanted to know, "Where do we stand as a chapter? Where does the AARP stand nationally?"

Denyce Singleton, public information officer for the local chapter, took the floor in the Herbert Grigg Home cafeteria Saturday to tell what she knew.

"We are going to have a fight on our hands," she said.

However, since no one single bill is making progress in Congress yet, precise battle lines have not yet been drawn, she said. This time, "before the dust settled," could be a time when local AARP members begin preparing for that fight by collecting phone numbers in the States they can call when the actual debate gets going, and by sending small donations to the President Barack Obama campaign so the donations could be tracked to the Virgin Islands.

The Washington Post reported over the weekend there were signs the Democrats might be giving up on reaching a compromise with Republicans and go forward with a health-care reform plan based solely on the viewpoint of the Democrats and the president.

"Health-care reform is a tough topic for Virgin Islanders," Singleton said. "The main thing is that they don’t forget about us. No matter what the disease or the health problem, the Virgin Islands has the highest rate. We need attention."

She noted that while Delegate Donna M. Christensen can’t vote in Congress, the delegate is working through various channels to ensure that Virgin Islanders receive "parity and equality" when the final bill is passed.

Orthneil Caines, who worked in Environmental Health as a field supervisor until 1986, filled in for the guest speaker. He admitted that could not give a current perspective on what Health Services is doing, but he could give an overview. Health Services is charged with overseeing three areas of regulation: food preparation, pest control and the quality of dairy products.

Caines said he is trying to get Christensen to speak at an upcoming AARP chapter meeting. For more information about the local AARP chapter, visit http://www.aarp.org/states/vi/.

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