Taking Action

Here are ways you and your community can get involved and address the issues illuminated in Not Going Quietly.

• Host a screening of Not Going Quietly in your community through the POV Community Network.
• Identify your elected officials and representatives here.
• Research the positions that your elected officials and candidates have taken on the things that matter to you. If they do not reflect your views, consider attending one of the official’s public forums or make an appointment to visit their office. Be prepared to tell them what you want to see them do and why this is a critical issue.
• Join a local advocacy/nonprofit and become more active in working for meaningful change.
• Submit an op-ed to your local newspaper sharing your story and what needs to change.

Resources

Not Going Quietly- The film’s website includes resources for taking action and opportunities to donate.film page

HEALTH CARE IN THE UNITED STATES

American Journal of Public Health:“Implications of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for Public Health” -Sherry Glied explores the effect of the tax cuts for the wealthy.

Be a Hero - Be a Hero PAC is a national progressive organization that works tirelessly to advocate for a more fair and just healthcare system in the United States. Founded by ALS activist Ady Barkan and Liz Jaff in 2018, Be a Hero has grown rapidly and helped shape the dialogue on healthcare advocacy and accountability in America.
https://beaherofund.com/

Harvard Business Review: “How the New U.S. Tax Plan Will Affect Health Care” -In a 2017 article, David Blumenthal explores the impact of the tax cuts for the richest Americans on the rest of the country. https://hbr.org/2017/12/how-the-new-u-s-tax-plan-will-affect-health-care

Kaiser Family Fund: “Understanding Health Insurance” -This FAQ covers all aspects of the current U.S. healthcare scenario. https://www.kff.org/understanding-health-insurance

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare -This organization works to protect, preserve, promote, and ensure the financial security, health, and wellbeing of maturing Americans.
https://www.ncpssm.org/our-issues/medicare/

OpenSecrets: “The Long, Costly Battle Over Obamacare Might Be Over” - Alyce McFadden covers recent decisions on Obamacare. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/06/costly-battle-obamacare-over

United States Senate Finance Committee on Finance: “Trump Tax Law and the Health Care Industry: A $100 Billion Bonanza” -An April 2018 U.S. Senate report looks at the impact of the Trump tax cuts on the healthcare industry. https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Wyden%20Report%20-%20Trump%20Tax%20Law%20and%20the%20Health%20Care%20Industry%20041718.pdf

ALS

The ALS Therapy Development Institute- The ALS Therapy Development Institute is the world’s foremost drug discovery lab focused solely on ALS. A nonprofit biotech led by drug development experts and people with ALS, the Watertown, Massachusetts–based lab is funded by a global network of supporters unified to end ALS. Its mission is to discover and develop effective treatments for ALS.
https://www.als.net/

I AM ALS-I AM ALS is a patient-led community that provides critical support and resources to patients, caregivers, and loved ones. It empowers advocates to raise mainstream awareness and lead the revolution against ALS in driving the development of cures.

Johns Hopkins Medicine: ALS - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - Johns Hopkins Medicine offers a helpful overview of ALS.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/centers_clinics/als/conditions/als_amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis.html

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke -The institute offers an information page and fact sheet on ALS diagnosis and treatment. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Amyotrophic-Lateral-Sclerosis-ALS-Information-Page

BIRD-DOGGING

HEALTHCARE-NOW -This organization explores bird-dogging in relation to seeking Medicare for all. https://www.healthcare-now.org/complete-guide-to-birddogging/

Indivisible - A grass-roots organization explains how to record representatives as part of the bird-dogging process. https://indivisible.org/resource/bird-dogging-guide-get-them-record.

MoveOn -MoveOn offers a primer on bird-dogging.https://front.moveon.org/how-to-birddog/

Move to Amend -Move to Amend offers tips for bird-dogging both candidates and elected officials. https://www.movetoamend.org/tips-bird-dogging-candidates-elected-officials

Open Democracy Action-An organization that works to get big money out of politics explains bird-dogging. https://www.opendemocracyaction.org/birddogging

YouTube: “Bird Dogging Elected Officials” -Hugh Espey of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement covers four aspects of bird-dogging. https://youtu.be/g6oI8I8fscc

YouTube: The ME Action – Activist Teach-in -Jaron Benjamin of Housing Works looks at bird-dogging elected officials. https://youtu.be/y97Ok5qfEW8

MEDICARE FOR ALL AND THE BRETT KAVANAUGH NOMINATION

New York Times: “The Basics of ‘Medicare for All’” -Margot Sanger Katz looks at Medicare for All in the context of the healthcare plan offered by Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign in 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/upshot/medicare-for-all-basics-bernie-sanders.html

ProPublica: “Medicare-for-All Is Not Medicare, and Not Really for All. So What Does It Actually Mean?”Akilah Johnson takes a deep dive into Medicare for all and what it might look like if implemented. https://www.propublica.org/article/medicare-for-all-is-not-medicare-and-not-really-for-all-so-what-does-it-actually-mean

USA Today“‘Rise up, women!’: Angry crowds flood Capitol Hill to protest Brett Kavanaugh nomination”Doug Stanglin and Caroline Simson report on the Brett Kavanaugh nomination and the angry reaction to it in September 2018. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/09/28/brett-kavanaugh-hearing-protesters-christine-blasey-ford/1453524002/

Vox: “The Ford-Kavanaugh Sexual Assault Hearings, Explained” -

In September 2018, Ezra Klein looks at the broader implications of Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony alleging sexual assault on the part of Brett Kavanaugh.https://www.vox.com/explainers/2018/9/27/17909782/brett-kavanaugh-christine-ford-supreme-court-senate-sexual-assault-testimony?utm_campaign=vox&utm_content=entry&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter via @voxdotcom

ADY BARKAN

New York Times:“Ady Barkan Won’t Let Dying Stop His Activism” - In a 2019 profile, Tim Arango looks at Ady’s activism and involvement in the presidential campaign. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/us/ady-barkan-activist-medicare.html

Politico Magazine:“The Most Powerful Activist in America Is Dying”- Arthur Allen looks at the intersection of the personal and the political in Ady’s story. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/24/ady-barkan-activist-als-226105/

Time:“The 100 Most Influential People of 2020: Ady Barkan” - Senator Elizabeth Warren profiles Ady for this annual list of people making a difference.
https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888232/ady-barkan/