IN THIS EPISODE
Whole Washington, a grassroots coalition in the Evergreen State, is committed to winning health care, “created by The People, for Everyone!” The Whole Washington Health Trust would be the nation’s first public, non-profit healthcare system. Who’s the founder of Whole Washington, and what led her to champion healthcare reform? What’s been done so far to advance health care for all in Washington, and what’s next for the single-payer movement there? Join host Brenda Gazzar and Whole Washington founder and operations director, web designer and mom, Georgia Davenport, who has helped establish and lead the state’s all-volunteer initiative effort for universal health care.
SHOW NOTES
WE DISCUSS
Tell us about how you came to found Whole Washington?
“…after I was a staffer for Initiative 735, which was the initiative to overturn Citizens United…we discussed what we wanted to do next and health care was the number one priority in our minds. So we brainstormed some different names and came up with Whole Washington and in 2017, I filed the paperwork and we became a 501C4. – Georgia Davenport
Why health care?
“Well, like most people in the United States, I have experienced not having health insurance when I was much younger…I don’t want anybody else to experience anything like that. It was horrible.” – Georgia Davenport
What’s Whole Washington’s post-COVID game plan?
“…we’re gearing up to hopefully run an initiative in 2022. We’ve got a new campaign director, Andre Stackhouse, who has an amazing vision for how we’re going to get this done. We’ve onboarded 50 – more than 50 now – signature captains across the state, including myself, who are committing to collect a certain amount of signatures per week so that we can get on the ballot.” – Georgia Davenport
Helpful Links
Whole Washington FAQs, Whole Washington
Controlling Health Care Costs in Washington, Economic Opportunity Institute
Other States Keep Watchful Eye on Snags in Washington’s Pioneering Public-Option Plan, Kaiser Health News
Despite law, 20 WA counties don’t offer public-option health plans, Crosscut
The One State Taking a Big Run at Health Reform, Politico
Episode Transcript
Read the full episode transcript.
Guest Biography
Georgia Davenport founded Whole Washington in 2017 and served as Campaign Director in 2018, leading the 100% volunteer initiative effort for universal healthcare in the state. She lives in Eastern Washington, north of Spokane, in a little town called Nine Mile Falls. Currently she serves as operations director of Whole Washington. She is also a web designer, wife and mom. Her family includes her husband, who is an Air Force veteran, her 10-year-old daughter, and a menagerie of pets. She is very politically active, having volunteered for and served as staffer on many campaigns, and was elected to the Washington State Democratic Central Committee and the 7th Legislative District. She ran for Washington State House of Representatives in 2020.
Get Involved / Take Action
Support Whole Washington to win comprehensive health care in the Evergreen State
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Join Healthy California Now – a coalition working toward a California single-payer system. Individual and organizational memberships available.
Join Health Care for All California to keep up with local actions to support California single-payer health care.
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Find more Code WACK! episodes on ProgressiveVoices.com, on the PV App and on NurseTalk Media. You can also subscribe to Code WACK! wherever you find your podcasts. This podcast is powered by HEAL California, uplifting the voices of those fighting for health care reform around the country. I’m Brenda Gazzar.
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