MAMES Members Attend Iowa Health Care Forum

On March 23, MAMES Vice President Julie Weidemann of
Palmer
Home Medical Supply and state association member Matt Flatt of
Hammer
Medical attended the Iowa White House Forum on Health Reform in
Des Moines. The event was co-hosted by Iowa Gov. Chet Culver, South
Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin and Nancy-Ann
DeParle, recently appointed director of the White House Office of
Health Reform. Waterloo, Iowa-based VGM’s Mike Mallaro, CFO/CIO,
and John Gallagher, vice president of government relations, also
attended the two-hour event. According to a post from VGM, after
the meeting the foursome met briefly with Sen. Harkin, who told the
group he felt preventive health care was important to allow “mom”
to stay at home. The group also delivered
a statement to Harkin’s staff.

The forum was the third in a series of five regional health care
summits scheduled by the White House around the country. A fourth
is set for Durham, N.C., tomorrow with NCAMES invited to attend,
and the fifth and final forum is set for Los Angeles on April 6.
For more, see State
Associations Seek a Say at Health Care Summits, March 16.