Two white men and one white woman sitting and standing behind a table inside a white tent, in front of a sign that says Maine AllCare, at the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, Maine, September 2023.
Phil Caper, Liz Solet, and Michael Glover at the MAC table at Common Ground. Photo: Karen Foster

More than 60,000 people attended the Common Ground Country Fair from September 22–24, and it seemed like most of them came through the Social and Political Action tent!

Our table was busy much of the time, we had many good conversations, made new and nurtured ongoing connections. We also heard painful stories from people who are struggling to access and pay for health care, here in Maine.

We heard from people who work in health care, including nurses, EMTs, nurse practitioners, and doctors, about how difficult it is to do the work they’ve trained to do and are committed to in our current system, and that it keeps getting worse.

Visitors to our table asked good questions, such as ‘How could this actually work at the state level?’ The most common questions we heard were ‘Where are we in this effort’ and ‘What can I do to help?’

Social and political change takes a long time, and sometimes can feel discouraging, especially when we both experience and witness how people are hurting in the current system. At events like Common Ground, we get to be reminded of all the people who care about this issue, and all those who are working toward a better health care system, and a more just and healthy world. This recharges our batteries and feeds our commitment to this work.

Thank you to the volunteers who helped out at the MAC table — Phil Caper, Heather Ellsworth, Karen Foster, Michael Glover, Henk Goorhuis, Merrill Henderson, Tom Sterne, Ted and Ava Sussman, and more partners and friends. Our presence at the fair would not be possible without you!

 

 

—Liz Solet, Maine AllCare communications