Duluth Medical Students Attend MMA Day at the Capitol

March 6, 2008      Five medical students from the Duluth campus today participated in the Minnesota Medical Association Day (MMA) at the State Capitol along with more than 100 physicians and physician assistants.  The goal was to lobby key health legislators on issues that directly impact the care physicians provide to their patients. 

Students Anne-Marie Sirany, Christopher Steevens, Jalayna Rick, Alissa Carrow, and Nicole Boettcher met with State Senator Yvonne Prettner Solon and State Representatives Michael Jaros and Tom Huntley.  In addition, they met Representative Mary Ellen Otremba from Long Prairie to discuss rural health needs and the Area Health Education Center program which Otremba backed from its inception. 

According to the students, some of the key issues being promoted by the Minnesota Medical Association are the need to:

• develop comprehensive health care reform.

• maintain the integrity of the health care access fund.
  There is a proposal by the governor to use this fund to help alleviate the 2008 budget shortfall.

• promote public health measures to combat obesity, smoking, and highway death and injury.

The students called the opportunity to "interact with legislators who are directly responsible and impact how medicine is delivered and the funding for the state's health care needs" a great learning experience.

They added that it was educational to see how the legislative process and medicine come together and to realize the need to be involved in how the delivery of health care will be debated in the future.

"As students we realized this is a very important year regarding health care reform.  We hope that our presence at the Capitol will demonstrate to lawmakers our concerns with the future of healthcare in this state and how their decisions will not only affect us as students but as future practicing physicians," commented Anne-Marie Sirany. 

Jalayna Rick... I chose to attend MMA's Day at the Capitol because I wanted to learn more about the bills that are currently affecting health care in Minnesota.  Bills in question now will have a big impact on our future as residents and practicing physicians.  I also wanted legislators to know that we, as medical students, are concerned about what is happening at the capitol and how the bills they are passing will affect our futures.   I wanted our voices to be heard and let the legislators know what issues are important to us.  The trip to the capitol was a great experience.  It allowed us to meet several Senators and Representatives and show them that we care about what is happening at the state level. 

Christopher Steevens...My experience at the capitol helped me realize that our legislators really do want to hear from us.  The decisions they are making today will dictate how our health care system is run when we are in practice.  I feel the need to voice my concerns regarding these decisions especially because they have a direct impact on myself and my future.  It was actually very easy to meet with our representatives and not  early as time consuming as I had anticipated.  The most important thing that I learned was that you don't have to be an expert on an issue to do effective lobbying; simply showing up and letting them know you care makes an impact.  I was also surprised to actually meet legislators who have been instrumental in supporting programs I am involved with.  In a back hall of the capitol, I met Representative Otremba (DFL-11B) who had been instrumental in organizing AHEC, the Area Health Education Program that supports training health care workers for rural Minnesota. Interestingly, Nichole and myself are actually working toward setting up a day at the capitol to promote this same program.  It is very encouraging to see firsthand our elected leaders working to support our interests.