Check out the Banner headline from the Red Deer Advocate on Monday June 16th:

Speaking out

Friends of Medicare Director calls for provincial pharmacare program

Friends of Medicare has a suggestion in keeping with Alberta Health's efforts to cut costs by amalganating health regions - a provincial pharmacare program. "This is where the costs in our medical system are increasing the fastest and exceeding the rate of inflation", said former NDP MLA David Eggen, who is the new executive director of Friends of Medicare in Alberta.

Many people, especially seniors, can't afford the cost pf drugs even with Blue Cross insurance", he said at Red Deer College on Saturday, where Friends of Medicare held its annual general meeting.

FOM Tour photos

Here is a selection of pics from FOM meetings in Red Deer, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat. The pronghorns in Empress, Alberta are friends of medicare too!

Southern Alberta Friends of Medicare Tour

Welcome to the FOM message board. I will endeavour to keep everyone up to date using this blog function.
June 22 and 23rd FOM hit the road to Medicine Hat and Lethbridge to visit chapters there. Palliser FOM put on a wonderful BBQ at Jan and Earl's place. I counted 83 guests at 6:30 p.m. Very impressive. We sold lots of memberships and had good coverage in the local media. The following is an exerpt from the Medicine Hat News:

Membership surge for Friends of Medicare

The new Palliser Chapter of the Friends of Medicare got a boost in membership after a somewhat improptu and unadvertised bbq at a residential home Sunday afternoon.

David Eggen: "We tend to see our membership and interest in Friends of Medicare when there is potentially hostile legislation or activity from the provincial governement. Everybody is concerned about the dissolution of the regional health boards. They think it is a message for other things to come."

Jan Bahnmiller: "I'm not sure if I trust them because merging the regions into a superboard is a good way to shut up a lot of your critics."

Evie Schuler: "...it makes you a little leery knowing that he (interm chair Ken Hughes) comes from a privateinsurance firm. We have to be careful and watch that."

FOM also visited Lethbridge where we had a good meeting with members followed by a delicious lunch at the Cormican residence. The Lethbridge Herald should have reported on our visit although I have not yet seen it. If anyone in Lethbridge saved the article please send it up.

The FOM tour will continue as Canmore, Jasper, Camrose and Hinton have expressed an interest in starting chapters. Anyone interested helping out in these areas should drop us a line.