Yesterday, SEIU Healthcare PA member Georgeanne Koehler delivered close to 1,000 holiday healthcare postcards urging the Senate's swift passage of healthcare reform to members of Congress. The holiday cards were collected sent from people across the state, asking Congress to pass health care reform before the holidays.

Accompanied by an SEIU/HCAN delegation from her home state of Pennsylvania, Koehler, a Pittsburgh hospital worker, shared the story of losing her brother to our broken health insurance system and the stories of people she's met since she became a health reform activist.

"Without health insurance, [my brother] couldn't get necessary cardiac care to keep him alive. This is the face of uninsured Americans whom we loved most dearly. Without meaningful reform, there will be many more. We just don't know their names yet."

Photo © 2009 David Sachs / SEIU ~ Check out more of SEIU Photo Librarian David Sachs' work on his new blog on photography and the labor movement, Labor's Lens.

---

Those that have met Georgeanne Koehler or heard her story have been undoubtedly moved by her courage and determination to bring justice to the tragic end of her brother Billy's life.

In an effort to help her "No More Empty Chairs" holiday healthcare campaign, SEIU Healthcare PA is asking folks to share this article with co-workers, friends and family, then fill out a postcard and send it to their Pittsburgh office ASAP, where they'll make sure it gets to the White House before the end of the holidays. The address is: SEIU Healthcare PA // 209 9th Street, 4th Floor // Pittsburgh, PA 15222