Reminiscent of the Jimmy Stewart character in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” but with a health care twist as ambassador for his students, Wil Dunn of Wilson Elementary School (in Little Rock) embarked on a journey of empowerment today. Unlike Mr. Smith,Wil Dunn is not battling to put a boys camp in the wilderness of California. Instead he will be working on keeping the tools his students need in order to be successful in academics and life. It is pretty evident by his students signs that they know the importance of being able to see the doctor, dentist and generally staying healthy in order to stay in school and succeed.
Mr. Dunn journeys to speak on behalf of children at a rally sponsored by Health Care for America Now (HCAN) in front of the the Supreme court.
From the HCAN press release:
The rally will take place on Wednesday when Justices will hear oral arguments for and against the expansion of the Medicaid program included in the Affordable Care Act. The rally will also occur a week after Representative Paul Ryan released his draft budget that called for a repeal of the Medicaid expansion and changes to the Medicaid program that would result in deep cuts over the next ten years.
As a caring and compassionate teacher, Mr. Dunn knows the necessity of health kids for a healthy classroom, “I teach 5th grade in southwest Little Rock, a lower socioeconomic area of the city. My students depend on Medicaid for doctor visits, eyeglasses, dental care and the list goes on.”
No, Mr. Dunn isn’t an elected official, but he is an educator with the smarts and know how to understand the importance of healthy students. In molding the minds of future generations, he sees the need for keeping Medicaid in force and expanding it. “I am passionate about this issue because if Medicaid is canceled, my students will suffer. Think about it, if you are sick, then you aren’t going to do your best. My students are already disadvantage by the situations they were born into. Ninety-two per cent of the children at my school are on the free and reduced cost school lunch program. It is up to us to fight for whatever our students need to help them be successful.”
Here is wishing Wil Dunn the same success for his students (and all of America) as Mr. Smith had for his boys camp in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”
