CHICAGO (May 7, 2004)

Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, will issue a statement on covering the medically uninsured at a news conference following a legislative breakfast on Friday, May 14, at Saint Anthony Hospital, 2875 West 19 th Street, Chicago.

The legislative breakfast (space limited-invitation only) will begin at 8 a.m. and will be followed by a news conference at 9:30 a.m. in Douglas Park, directly across from the 19 th Street entrance to Saint Anthony Hospital, a Catholic; not-for-profit community hospital that has served Chicago's west and southwest side for over 100 years.

The Illinois Catholic Health Association and the Illinois Catholic Conference of Bishops will co-sponsor the breakfast with Saint Anthony Hospital. Legislative representatives from national, state, city and county branches will gather to dialogue and share their mutual plans on addressing this issue that has become a national crisis in America today. Following the legislative gathering the Cardinal will hold a press conference to share his statement on the issue of the uninsured and access to health care for all individuals.

Statistics for 2002 indicate that over 1.7 million of the nation's 43 million individuals who have no insurance reside in Illinois. This represents 15.9 percent of the state's population. Nearly 12 percent of Illinois children ages 0-18 were uninsured. An estimated 550,000 suburban residents lack health insurance with another 742,000 in Chicago.

Families who have been affected by the lack of available health insurance will be present to discuss how this crisis has impacted their lives.

For more information, contact Veronica Venturini, Director of Community Relations for Saint Anthony Hospital, at 773/484-4395, or Jim Dwyer, Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Chicago, 312/751-8233.

Editor's note: the breakfast is by invitation only and the general public is invited to the press conference.

http://covertheuninsuredweek.org