ADAPT's open letter to the people of Nashville

For Immediate Release: 3-24-06

http://www.adapt.org

contact: Randy Alexander: 901-359-4982
Jen Cartwright: 615-594-7005

An Open Letter to the People of Nashville

A big thanks from Tennessee ADAPT to the people of Nashville for your
patience with the inconvenience some of you may have experienced during our activities this week. We know that many of you realize that the inconvenience was worth it, because you've told us that a few minutes lost in getting home from work one-day pales in comparison when measured against the 6700 lost lives of Tennessee folks who are trapped in nursing homes and want to get out.

Thanks also to the many law enforcement officers who did their jobs so
professionally and still with courtesy and even, at times, with humor. We know that you're not our enemy!

The Governor's Office characterized us as outside agitators, and said that we were only hurting our cause with our aggressive behavior. Such statements have been made by those who defend government policies for generations. When working people fought for better wages and protection from injury on the job, they were told that they were too "pushy" and impatient. When women tried to improve their lives, they were told the same thing. And once again, as African Americans are struggling for their rightful place in our society. The response of some folks in government to needed change will always be the same. And yet, the changes come, because ordinary folks see the need for change.

In fact, the changes that we advocate are desperately needed, not just for members of Tennessee ADAPT, but also for everyone in Tennessee and throughout the U.S. Currently, 6700 people are trapped in Tennessee nursing homes because the rules say that they can't get the services they need unless they stay there, even though the services could be provided in your home at less cost, saving your tax dollars. Any one of you might be number 6701. A traffic accident, tumble down the stairs at home, a serious illness, could put you in a nursing home.

So we ask you to join us. Make this your cause, for it surely is. Ask Governor Bredesen to support the passage of the Community Choices Act and reverse all funding cuts and policies in Tennessee that result in disabled and older Tennesseans being removed from their own homes and forced into nursing homes. Our cause is your cause! Join us to make a better life for everyone in Tennessee! And thanks for all the friendly remarks you've made to us during our visit!

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FOR MORE INFORMATION on ADAPT visit our website at http://www.adapt.org/