Notes on negotiations with Christ Memorial Hospital

A delegation of three Hunger Strikers participated in a two-hour with representatives from Christ Memorial Hospital today. Participants in the meeting include Tony Mooney Gardner, Manager of Public Affairs at Christ Medical Center and Chief Operating Officer of Christ Medical Center, Michael D Wilkins. Here is what they agreed to verbally, while refusing to put anything in writing:
 
1. Communicate with Dr David Ansel of Rush Hospital who is leading the effort to create a roundtable along with the other transplant teams from UIC ,Northwestern, Rush and Loyola; this is intended to coordinate effort and find solutions so that all undocumented and uninsured people can be evaluated for the transplant waitlists
2. Establish and maintain communication with the patients on our list to accomplish every point that we will agree: to conduct evaluations for all of them
3. There will be no requirement for legal documentation for any patient to be accepted by Christ Medical Center for evaluation to be put on the transplant waitlist
4. There be no requirement for insurance for any patient to be apply to be evaluated for the waitlist; the hospital has significant financial support for people without insurance , and that can be used for any person who applies for medical care at Christ, especially those for evaluations for transplants.

Meanwhile, outside, the rest of the group were picketing on the public sidewalk. Oak Lawn police interfered with and positioned themselves on the sidewalk directly in our way, us making the path incredibly narrow. They immediately arrested one picketer who allegedly had “contact” with an officer; he is now released, though he is being charged with battery.

 

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