Addressing Heath Care Disparities In Southern Maryland And America As A Whole: Sarah Jones Delivers An Outstanding Performance Of "A Right to Care". Presented By GBMS

Online, October 21, 2010 (Newswire.com) - It was commissioned over five years ago, but it may be more relevant than ever. Sarah Jones' one-woman play "A Right to Care" was performed on October 19, 2010 at the Carolina Missionary Baptist Church and the experience was equally riveting, thought provoking, and hilarious. Greater Baden Medical Services Inc. partnered with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Kaiser Permanente to bring Jones and her ensemble of characters to Prince George's County in celebration of their re-branding and expansion efforts, as well as to raise awareness about health disparities right here in Southern Maryland.
Before Jones even took the stage she already had the room captivated. She made an entrance from the back of the room in character as "Miss Lady", the wise-cracking homeless woman, interrupting the welcoming speaker. From that point on she effortlessly shifted across race, ethnicity, and gender for the duration of the performance. The premise of the play is that a variety of everyday people from all walks of life were invited to testify about the health care system in America. The packed house, which included elected officials, members' non-profit community, health care providers, was captivated. Throughout the performance you hear laughter, agreement and even a few "oohs" whenever characters touched on some sensitive truths.
Beyond being entertaining, the performance captured caricatures of very real people and very familiar situations to health care providers in the room. Jones revealed in a post performance Q&A that characters were all based on friends and family, and this was quite evident as each accent, facial expression, and hand gesture was so spot on that one felt as though they had met these characters in their own lives.
Political and corporate leaders in the community expressed that this was a must see performance and the night as a whole was a step forward for health care in the region. John A. O'Brien President of Prince George's Hospital Center said, "The performance presented by Greater Baden on Tuesday night was beautifully inspirational to anyone who works to provide quality health care for our Prince George's County communities. At Dimensions Healthcare, we have looked to Greater Baden to learn better methods for meeting the needs of the many cultural traditions living here. It was wonderful to be part of an evening that brought together many concerned health providers and to be able to take away amazing insights on understanding what patients have a right to expect from us." Health care is big on the agenda of politicians right now and in this election time it is easy to forget about the faces behind news headlines. Michael Summers, District 47 Democratic Nominee described the performance as "Simply phenomenal, thought provoking and emotionally charged." He added "I have been impacted by the performance". That is truly what made this performance so special. After it ended everyone was discussing the characters and themes on the way home. It doesn't end there either, these deeply personal portrayals of relatable figures will stick with those who saw the performance for a very long time.