Appealing to "the better angels of our nature," Abraham Lincoln attempted to bridge the gap with ardent secessionists in his first Inaugural Address. Humaneness, compassion, good will and tolerance were virtues embodied by those angels he invoked. Attention refocused on those words recently as another inauguration fell just before the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.
Angel Interfaith Network also firmly believes in those "better angels of our nature." In fact, they have carried us through a history of more than twenty years extending neighbor-to-neighbor care to patients and families of L.A. County + USC Medical Center.
We see those angels in the volunteers who helped us deliver Thanksgiving meals and Christmas gifts to some 75 households recently. We see them in the loving handiwork of numbers of women who pass along items they have sewn, stitched or crocheted, often with a prayer for the recipients. We see them in the young volunteers who discover us on the internet and pitch in to help with year-end inventory, pricing of items and data entry.
In times of hardship, we all need to remember the enduring importance of the "better angels of our nature."
Rev. Donald L. Smith
Executive Director
SCHIP Bill A Ray of Hope
 One of the biggest worries accompanying the new L.A. County + USC Medical Center has been the reduction in pediatric beds and the impact this will have on the local healthcare system.
New legislation signed into law by President Obama on February 4th expands publicly-funded health insurance for children through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). It also ends a five-year waiting period that has prevented hundreds of thousands of children in immigrant families from gaining access to preventive care. More access to preventive healthcare options for low-income families should mean a reduction in demand on scarce pediatric beds at LAC + USC. The $33 billion bill, funded by a boost in the federal tax on cigarettes to $1 a pack, would reduce the number of uninsured children in America by about half over the next 4 ½ years and boost the number covered by the program to 11 million.
Leading children’s advocacy groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Children’s Defense Fund, First Focus, the March of Dimes and the National Association of Children’s Hospitals issued the following statement responding to enactment of the SCHIP legislation:
“We are pleased that Congress has passed a bill that reauthorizes CHIP, taking care of important unfinished business from the last Congress. Under this legislation, states receive funding to provide coverage for 4 million children who are currently uninsured, end the five year waiting period on covering legal immigrant children and pregnant women, and give overburdened states much needed fiscal relief to keep children in the program. This legislation makes an important initial investment in strengthening the quality of children’s health care and improving health outcomes. We now look forward to working with President Obama and the new Congress on health care reform in 2009, for children and for everyone, that fulfills President Obama’s promise of high quality health coverage that every family can afford for every child in America.”
Saga of Three Strollers
 Idealism was in the air on the day after the Inauguration of a new President as AIN Care Coordinator Ann Mills stopped to pick up equipment from the Baby2Baby warehouse on Pico Boulevard. Parents who care about other parents in need find this organization to be a ready and helpful partner in passing along a variety of useful infant care items. There is energy and purpose in the bustling warehouse parking lot that day. Among other items on Ann’s list are three strollers destined for families in South L.A. and Pasadena. Helpful volunteers stow them in Ann’s van for the journey.
Stroller #1 is one specially equipped for a disabled child. It is headed for for a home on 48th street where the family has suffered multiple tragedies and overcome great obstacles in the effort to maintain a stable and happy environment. The aunt and grandmother come out to greet Ann as she pulls in with her cargo. We have known the family for several years. The young girl is in the hospital again that day. Nevertheless, Ann reports that “hope, unity and responsibility shine forth from this household.” This is a home that has a vital connection with the community, and family members are eager to give back to AIN by delivering supplies and passing on outgrown items.
Stroller #2 is headed for 40th Place and a big old house divided into apartments housing a riotous collection of women and children with obvious need. The front yard is all dirt. The kids are all smiles. Older children haul babies and toddlers on their hips. Stroller #2 accomodates three children and will alleviate the strain on a very busy mother of twins. A supply of used clothing from AIN will also go to good use here. Women struggling just to survive day by day here devote their limited resources to their children and to supporting one another.
Late that afternoon stroller #3 makes its way to Pasadena. This double stroller is for a woman who took responsibility for her incarcerated sister’s baby boy at birth and now also takes care of her second child – a little girl. The woman worries whether her sister will ever “get her head straight.” In the meantime, she hopes to keep the two children together and to forge whatever family bond may be possible for them. Responsibility is strong in this home. Hope glimmers, but goes it alone. Along with physical resources, AIN has been an ongoing source of support and encouragement over the phone for this determined woman.
On the day after the inauguration of a new President, words speaking of hope, unity and a renewed sense of purpose echo in Ann’s mind. By the end of the day the words have taken on a concrete significance, giving her hope and a sense of how much more each of us can do to heal the wounds that hold us back. We can take real responsibility for our future, but none of us can do it all by ourselves. We need one another and the strength that comes from connecting. Ann reflects on her experience, saying “Every time I visit a home on behalf of the Network I believe the Spirit spins another bond between us – comforting, encouraging, challenging each other into healthy community.”
Extreme Poverty in L.A.
 If Skid Row of downtown Los Angeles is a tragic “ground zero” for a local escalation in poverty and homelessness, can L.A. County + USC Medical Center be far behind?
In “A Profile of L.A.’s Poor in Turbulent Times” (January, 2009) United Way reports that the number of “extreme poor” in L.A. County roughly matches the total population of Washington D.C. and is greater than the total populations of Seattle, Las Vegas or Miami. “Extreme poverty” translates as those earning below 50% of the federal poverty level. That represented some 583,000 people in L.A. County in 2007, and a staggering 10% of the population in East Los Angeles.
The Midnight Mission, Los Angeles Mission and Union Rescue Mission all reported a sharp increase in the number of families seeking their services in a story for the Los Angeles Downtown News last November. According to Rebecca Isaacs, executive director of Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, families are one of the fastest-growing segments of the homeless population in L.A. County. The 2007 Homeless Count conducted by the agency found a total of 13,618 families on the streets of greater Los Angeles. Results from the count conducted last month will not be available until summer, but anecdotal evidence suggests a sizable increase in the number of homeless families.
All of that helps to put Angel Interfaith Network service data for 2008 in some perspective. With only slightly more resources available to us during the year, AIN made 1,096 service deliveries to more than 679 families and at least 1,312 individuals. In dollars, that represented $116,148 worth of in-kind goods distributed out of the $$133,083 received during the year. Patient families we serve from the L.A. County + USC Healthcare Network and those referred by community partners make up only a slice from the overall L.A. County population living in “extreme poverty.” With your help, we direct critical support and pastoral care to situations of acute need. As the economic climate grows more challenging in 2009, we are determined to meet those challenges with timely, concrete demonstration that there is a community that cares. |
