FOR PLANNING PURPOSES                                                         
Friday, May 22, 2009              

CONTACT: Alexis Marks       
(202) 225-7163
                                                                 

Sacramento, CA – Representative Doris Matsui (CA-05) today announced she will be participating in a “State of Sacramento’s Health Care System Tour” to take place from Wednesday, May 27 through Friday, May 29, 2009.  The three-day tour will include tours of local hospitals, meetings with doctors and medical providers, and will conclude with a roundtable discussion with local health care professionals hosted by Congresswoman Matsui.

As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over health care issues, Congresswoman Matsui will be playing a critical role in the upcoming health care debate.  A long-time advocate of the need for health care reform, Congresswoman Matsui is looking forward to continuing her conversations with Sacramentans about the current state of our health care system.

“As we prepare to draft comprehensive health care reform legislation to be considered in the coming months, I am extremely interested to see first-hand the reality of our community’s health care system in the wake of the current economic crisis,” said Congresswoman Matsui.  “We know that we cannot wait to expand access to and lower the cost of health care in Sacramento. 

There are too many seniors going without their prescriptions, people going to the emergency room for preventative illnesses, and families choosing between paying their rent - or - paying their premiums.”

According to the Center for American Progress, fewer than half of American adults receive preventive services recommended by trustworthy authorities such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.  The omission of preventive health care from our current system costs the country billions of dollars and millions of lives; almost 70 percent of deaths and costs in the United

States can be attributed to chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.  Estimates of the economic and health benefits of increased preventive care run as high as $474 billion over the next ten years.

“We are blessed with the wealth of extensive quality health care in Sacramento, but are burdened with the high costs of providing it and extending access to it with the gross inefficiencies and inadequacies of the national health care system,” stated Rep. Matsui.  “I look forward to hearing more about ways that we can achieve our twin goals of achieving both affordable and quality health care for all Sacramentans.”

Rep. Matsui’s “State of Sacramento’s Health Care System Tour” Schedule:

Wednesday, May 27, 2009
11:00 AM: Tour of Kaiser Hospital and Briefing on Health IT Program, 2025 Morse Avenue, Sacramento
  1:30 PM: Tour of Radiological Associates of Sacramento Medical Group Facility, 3161 L Street, Sacramento 

Thursday, May 28, 2009
2:30 PM: Tour of UC Davis Health System’s Emergency Room, 2315 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento

Friday, May 29, 2009
2:30 PM: Health Care Working Group Roundtable at Sierra Health Foundation, 1321 Garden Highway, Sacramento

Members of the press should contact Alexis Marks at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or (202)225-7163.  Additional details for each event will be announced next week.