From the streets to advocacy: The real effects of being left out

Women With A Vision is a community-based nonprofit created by and for women of color, with a mission to improve the lives of marginalized women and their families within our community and region.  Originally focused on health promotion and community outreach, WWAV has expanded their reach among other programs to include ACA outreach and enrollment, targeting people in their communities that need affordable health care like women of color, the LGBT community, especially trans* people, and people living with HIV/AIDS. As long as the state of Louisiana continues to refuse to accept federal dollars to expand Medicaid, more than 242,000 low-income women, women of color, and LGBT people will be left without any health care. Advocates and organizers alike are working together to capture the stories of frustrated women, women of color, and LGBT people – one way this is being accomplished is by going to the streets to talk with them about their health care options. In this presentation we will hear the stories of these women and others who are being left behind, and the tactics used to overcome some of the challenges brought forth by the conservative political landscape in Louisiana.