PNHP California recognizes that physicians are most likely to donate their time for activism if three criteria are met- 1) their talents are exploited; 2) their activism is valuable; 3) their volunteer time is used effectively (not on meetings and not on setup). PNHP California has created an infrastructure to support activism in four key areas of the organization: Education (speaking and writing to the press, public and colleagues), Advocacy (engaging legislators and their staff on the reasons for a single payer system), Growth (recruiting new members, new organizations and new constituencies to our coalition, building our chapters, developing new activists) and Service (providing professional and informational support for the many Californians adversely affected by our current for profit private health insurance system).

ADVOCATORS
Physicians can and must broaden their advocacy of single payer from the auditoriums to legislators’ offices. Our advocacy mission, Operation Single Payer, is based on the concept of relationship-based advocacy, in which physicians and their single payer colleagues build relationships with their legislators to educate them on the reasons for single payer health financing.

Nancy Greep, MD

Jerry Helman, MD

Geoffrey White, PhD