Appalachia Native Debby Smith Will Attend Health Care Town Hall

A local woman received word yesterday that she will have the opportunity to speak to the President of the United States of America.

Debby Smith of Appalachia, Va. a member of the Virginia Organizing Project, will attend President Obama’s Health Care Town Hall Meeting at 1 p.m. today in Annandale at Northern Virginia Community College.

Live participants in the town hall will ask the President questions along with participants online on Twitter, YouTube and FaceBook.

Smith was invited to the meeting because she has been vocal in her community on the issue of health care reform. As a member of the Virginia Organzing Project, she has shared her own health care story and helped plan health care events and lobbied Congress on health care reform.

“I would not miss an opportunity like this for anything,” Smith said in a recent press release from the Virginia Organizing Project. “Health care is an issue that I feel strongly about and I am thrilled to be able to attend the meeting and hopefully put in my two cents. I am excited about shaking the President’s hand and letting him know that we need health care reform now.  I am going to let the President know where I am from and I hope that it will be an opportunity for some recognition of Appalachia.”

Smith said that if she has the opportunity to speak face to face with the President, she plans to invite him to RAM (Remote Area Medical) days in Appalachia July 24-26. RAM hosts an annual outdoor health care event to provide care for people who could otherwise not afford it.

“I hope that the President will consider coming to one of the RAM days in Appalachia this summer. I can think of no better example to illustrate that our health care system is broken. The fact that people line up days ahead in the sweltering heat just for a chance at free medical care shows that we definitely need serious health care reform,” said Smith.