"Dozens of chanting protesters laid on the sidewalk in front of the Eastmont Health Center in Oakland on Thursday, holding signs meant to resemble tombstones with epitaphs like "R.I.P. Lost My Healthcare" or "Clinic Closed."
For Valerie Bachelor, director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Oakland, it's not an exaggeration to describe healthcare funding as a matter of life and death.
"What's at stake is people's health. Whether a senior is going to continue to be with us or not. And whether our folks with disabilities are going to be able to continue to live with dignity," said Bachelor.
She explained that facilities like the Eastmont Center are directly at risk for service reductions and closure, after H.R.1 — the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" — passed last fall."
