University of Hawai’i medical students plan public protest on January 9 for #ProtectOurPatients

News Release from John A. Burns School of Medicine, January 8th, 2017

Motorists and pedestrians near Ala Moana Boulevard are likely to see something out of the ordinary on Monday, January 9, 2015 at around 12:30 p.m.

University of Hawai’i medical students, clad in their white medical lab coats, plan to hold an organized protest demonstration in support of #ProtectOurPatients.

#ProtectOurPatients is a nation-wide, grassroots movement organized by medical students to raise awareness about the potential repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), frequently referred to as “Obamacare.”

On January 9th, a large group of health professions students from across the country will unite under the banner of #ProtectOurPatients in Washington, D.C. to deliver a petition asking Congress to prevent millions of Americans from losing health insurance.

The Hawai’i medical student demonstration is being led by a student interest group at the UH medical school, the Partnership for Social Justice (PSJ).

“President-elect Donald Trump and Republican majorities in Congress are threatening to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and defund Planned Parenthood,” said Arcelita Imasa, a third-year student at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and a spokesperson for the PSJ student group. “With healthcare for some 30 million Americans in jeopardy and the threat that 400,000 more women will lose access to desired reproductive care, we medical students cannot be silent,” said Imasa.

The MD student protest is entirely organized by the student interest group, and doesn’t necessarily reflect an official position by the medical school or University. However, Jerris Hedges, MD, JABSOM Dean said, “JABSOM is proud that our students hold such strong community values and will speak up for those patients who may not have a voice in the rapidly changing healthcare landscape.”

About the John A. Burns School of Medicine

The John A. Burns School of Medicine honors its unique research environment to excel in science-based efforts to eliminate diseases that disproportionately affect people in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region. Annually at JABSOM, more than 500 future physicians are learning medicine, JABSOM researchers secure $52 million in grants, and overall economic stimulus to Hawaiʻi from the school tops $456 million. JABSOM also confers degrees in Clinical Translational Research, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Tropical Medicine, Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Technology and Developmental and Reproductive Biology. http://jabsom.hawaii.edu.

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