Send Yvette Joseph to the DNC

Dear Friends,

I’m writing to seek your support, as a National Delegate for Hillary Clinton with plans to attend the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, PA. I’m very proud to represent the 5th Congressional District of Washington State as Hillary’s delegate, covering 11 Counties in Eastern Washington. Our district is centered on Spokane, the state’s second largest city. 

When I worked in Washington, DC, for U.S. Senators Dan Evans (R – WA) and Dan Inouye (D- HI), with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, I was involved in President Bill Clinton’s Health Care Reform Task Force and met often with First Lady Hillary Clinton. For 12 weeks, I attended toll gate meetings at the White House to help shape the American Security Act.

After that process ended, we invited Mrs. Clinton to meet with Tribal Leaders at the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. As you know, we were not successful in realizing health care reform, but under Hillary’s leadership, 48 states became part of the State Child Health Insurance Program in 1997. And because of these early discussions, Hillary helped President Clinton to encourage the establishment of the President’s Executive Order on Government-to-Government Consultation with Tribal Governments.  

Today, my primary work is to help expand oral health care in every community, by promoting the use of dental therapists. A dental therapist is a provider who works as part of a dental care team, similar to how a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant works as part of the medical team. Midlevel dental care is common in more than 50 countries around the world, including Canada. In 2003, the Tribes in Alaska started a program to bring services to patients in places where dentists don’t normally work, including schools, nursing homes, mobile clinics and other settings. Now dental therapists serve 81 communities in Alaska and are authorized in Minnesota, Maine and Vermont, and are working in the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and with two Tribes in Oregon.  We are working to promote this policy change because 130 million Americans lack access to needed dental care. And in Washington State, 35 of 39 Counties do not have enough dentists to meet the needs of our citizens.

It is my goal to mobilize Washington State Democrats to help expand dental care to every citizen, especially working families who cannot afford to access care.  I’m honored to serve as an elected Precinct Committee Officer in Spokane County and will do all that I can to share updates and work to get out the vote in the upcoming campaign. I am working to ensure Democrats win the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House and in our State Legislature. Attending the Democratic Convention will help me to realize this goal.

We worked at the WA State Convention to successfully include language to support dental therapy in the Tribal Nations plank. Some of that language made it into the latest draft of the national platform because of the great advocacy work of Tulalip Tribal Member and Bernie Sander’s Delegate Deborah Parker. This week, I’ve been spending many long nights helping to prepare a provision to expand oral health care to every American under the Health plank. This is important because there is no mention of dental or oral health care in the platform. Ms. Parker is hopeful that she will succeed in getting the language adopted. 

I hope you can see that I am devoted to advancing health policy to serve working families, will seek to address racial justice and support the creation of good-paying jobs by promoting clean energy to overcome climate change.  If you have a burning issue you believe needs attention, please let me know at my Facebook Account.

As a single mother with a 2016 graduate of Washington State University and another student who attends Whitworth University, I need help, mostly to pay for the hotel room in Philadelphia, PA, along with taxi, meals and other costs.  It is important to secure these funds before July 22, 2016.

I believe that in order to give, is to receive.  So I plan to gift a beautiful Hillary for America beaded medallion and a pair of beaded earrings to two people who contribute to my go fund me account. These individuals will be selected before the Convention on July 25 to 28, 2016. 

So please consider donating $5, $10, $25, $50 or $100 to my go fund me account.  Your support will be used wisely and with great appreciation, as I hope to continue to serve others. Thank you for considering this request.  

Lem Lempt – Thank you!!

Yvette Joseph