Speaker: Erin Gabriel

As legislators at both the federal and state level grapple with budgetary decisions, it is more critical than ever for self-advocates, their families and caregivers to understand how current proposals may impact their access to healthcare moving forward. Please join us to learn more about current proposals, timelines and the potential impacts on our communities.

PHAN is Pennsylvania’s only statewide consumer-driven organization working to expand and protect access to high-quality, equitable, affordable healthcare for all Pennsylvanians. Since 2007, PHAN has brought together health care consumers and community organizations across the state to advocate for expanded access to health care in Pennsylvania. To achieve this, PHAN blends coalition-building and policy advocacy with our unique model of community health organizing that focuses on supporting and empowering consumers to get the treatment they need and become advocates for better healthcare in their local communities and statewide.

Join us for our upcoming Community Lecture Night! This will be online only. Please register for the event here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/LbCY1HJaRP-Kkl12hhrhSQ

• When: July 28th from 6:00-7:30 PM
• Where: Zoom AND streaming on YouTube
• Meeting Accessibility:
  • There will be sign language interpreters and closed captioning available on Zoom. 
  • Chat will be disabled on Zoom during the lecture to better serve people using screen readers. Participants will still be able to message the hosts.
  • When it comes time for the Q&A, people may ask by messaging in the chat so the host can read it out loud or by raising their hand on Zoom so the host can call on them to ask by voice or by ASL.
  • For more information, check out our Technical Info page.

If anyone has any other access needs please contact accessmobpittsburgh@gmail.com as soon as possible, but no later than July 23rd.

Speaker Biography:

Erin is the Government Affairs Representative for the Pennsylvania Health Access Network. In that role she works directly with legislators and coalition partners in both Harrisburg and Washington, DC to expand and protect access to high-quality, equitable, affordable healthcare for all Pennsylvanians. This past year, that has included work on insurance marketplace affordability, medical debt, prescription drug affordability and hospital consolidation and closure. 

Erin has been involved in disability and health care advocacy for nearly 15 years, working directly on legislation and advocacy with many Members of Congress and Senators, with coalitions which included disability rights organizations working alongside labor unions, and with incoming members of President Biden’s cabinet to ensure that they were educated on how health care and disability issues would be impacted by their policies. Erin is the mother of three children who have disabilities including her youngest who is medically complex with multiple disabilities. She knows firsthand just how impactful the policy decisions made at the federal, state and local levels were for kids like hers – in every area: health care, education, infrastructure. Erin is excited to continue this work with PHAN, advocating with legislators to ensure a more equitable, sustainable and accessible health care system for all our families.

Funding for this lecture comes from a grant from the Opportunity Fund.