The Salem City Council has declared through a resolution passed unanimously that health care is a fundamental right. This occurred at their July 12 meeting.

The resolution declares that "individual wellbeing and public health both benefit when all members of a community have real, meaningful access to health care."

It commits the City Council to:

• Support Oregon Senate Joint Resolution 12, which would amend the state constitution, establishing an obligation of the state to ensure "every resident of the state access to cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care."
• Express support for state-based universal healthcare and send a letter to that effect to the Legislature and Governor. Send a letter to Oregon's federal delegation urging them to create pathways to establish state-based systems under federal waivers that can remove barriers to receiving federal financial support.

The resolution is designed to address only local actions that the Council can take.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-07-14 17:58:05

Last Update: 2021-07-14 21:34:38