UUFSMA: “A Robust Public System for Health”

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Online Service

“A Robust Public System for Health”
Speaker: Cliff DuRand

Sunday, July 26, 2020
10:30 am

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/414604040 

Password: 294513

By Joseph Plummer

UUF Secretary

In this Sunday’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship online Service, Center for Global Justice co-founder Cliff DuRand will talk about the colossal failure of the U.S. response to the Covid-19 pandemic. He will acknowledge that this failure has not been due solely to poor leadership.  He points as well to structural shortcomings in the country’s medical and public health system and the examples of other countries that have done much better with less.

DuRand points to Cuba as one example.   While much poorer than the United States and other developed nations, Cuba has also managed the pandemic while under a punishing economic blockade imposed by the U.S.  Despite these burdens, Cuba has contained the virus with one of the lowest death rates anywhere.  It owes this success to its robust public system for health.  Since the 1959 Revolution, Cuba has prioritized development of its human resources.  As a result, it has more doctors per capita than any other nation and a system of universal free preventative health care.  Moreover, Cuba shares its human wealth with others by sending doctors to help combat Covid-19 in 31 countries.

All this will be discussed by Cliff DuRand this Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist service.  He has traveled annually to Cuba for nearly 40 years, leading hundreds of people on educational trips.  He is a co-founder of the Center for Global Justice and a former Philosophy Professor at Morgan State University.  He and his wife Julie DuRand have lived in San Miguel since 2004.

To participate in our online Sunday Service, visit the Fellowship’s website at www.uufsma.org and click on the Zoom Service button displayed on the home page. If requested, enter password: 294513. Sign-in between 10:15-10:25 am.

Through grants and awards, UUFSMA donates fifty percent of all income it receives to support nonprofit organizations that provide health, educational, and environmental services for underserved communities in the San Miguel region. Please support this work by clicking on the website home page’s Donate button. Now more than ever, your support is essential.

Due to the arrival of the coronavirus in San Miguel de Allende, UUFSMA has indefinitely suspended in-person Sunday services and other gatherings. We advise members and friends to follow the advice of reputable public health authorities, such as the Centers for Disease Control, and to contact our Minister or Care Team for needed assistance. The UU Fellowship welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Our fellowship was born in 1987 when a small group of expatriate religious liberals came together to meet as Unitarian Universalists in San Miguel de Allende. The fellowship has been active and thriving ever since. Every UU church has it’s own flavor, and we are no exception. We are a combination of expats and visitors, each actively engaged and contributing to this wonderful Mexican community we love. Because there is a coming, going, and returning aspect, our spiritual community is extremely fluid.  There is a magic in San Miguel which draws us in and binds us together—both as members of the church and of the larger community. Our programming is led by visiting ministers, community leaders, and church members, so the variety is lively. We have opportunities to meet as UU’s each week at discussion groups, breakfasts, luncheons, and in various other ways. Depending on the season, attendance fluctuates between 40 and 140. Our primary focus is on funding social action within the surrounding community. We love good music, good discussion, good food, and having visitors. We invite you to join us any Sunday morning.

Members regularly post updates and information on this site. We also post meeting minutes and announcements there.

To join our Yahoo group site click on this link:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/UUFSMA/info

Click on “membership”and follow the directions.

Posting a notice on the Yahoo site is easy. Just go to your regular mail browser, type in the address line: uufsma@yahoogroups.com , type your message and hit send!

We encourage you to use this site to communicate with other local UUs.