Tony Garr
Tony Garr is the Founding Executive Director of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign (THCC), a statewide, nonprofit organization that works to secure affordable, accessible, and quality health care for all Tennesseans. Under the leadership of Mr. Garr, THCC has played a crucial role in representing the health needs of 1.3 million Tennesseans who were affected by the state’s TennCare (Medicaid) waiver. He is the heart and soul of the organization, and his work over the years to protect Medicaid has shown him to be a man with a will to make sure that all voices are heard and a tremendous ability to get people and groups to work together. He is a tenacious watchdog and constant advocate for consumer protections.
Prior to his work at the THCC, Mr. Garr was the Executive Director of the Tennessee Affiliate of the American Diabetes Association. One of his many accomplishments in this position was securing passage of the Tennessee Comprehensive Health Insurance Act (TCHIP), which created a high-risk pool for people with medical problems. Before that, he was Executive Director of the Cumberland Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation. He has also worked as an AFDC Eligibility Counselor for the Tennessee Department of Human Services and as a Technical Training Director for the Peace Corps.
Mr. Garr received his B.A. from St. Pius X Seminary College and received theological training at St. Mary Seminary and University.
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Kimberly Perry
Kimberly Perry is Founding Director of D.C. Hunger Solutions, a project of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). She has worked for more than 15 years to improve the quality of life for low-income children and their families through policy advocacy. Her work focuses on child health policy, especially food and nutrition policies aimed at ending childhood hunger and obesity, as well as children’s access to health care.
Ms. Perry recently led a citywide campaign to remove junk food from the D.C. public schools through the adoption of a system-wide policy that requires all public schools to sell healthier snacks and beverages in vending machines. She also led a successful two-year campaign to pressure the D.C. government to provide better access to nutritious summer meals for low-income children. Now, more than 27,000 children and youth don’t have to worry about going hungry in the summer when school lets out.
Previously, Ms. Perry worked for Children’s Hospital. She also led a multi-year campaign in Virginia to eliminate barriers to health care. As a result, tens of thousands of uninsured children were enrolled in the state’s SCHIP program, gaining increased access to primary health care. She also worked for Families USA, where she provided guidance to state coalitions working on children’s health, Medicaid, and the expansion of public health insurance programs, and she made promising contributions in the movement to engage communities of color in the national health care debate.
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Anthony Wright
Anthony Wright is Executive Director of Health Access, a statewide health care consumer advocacy organization in California. Health Access is a coalition of over 200 constituency groups working for quality, affordable health care for all. In this position, Mr. Wright works to prevent severe health care budget cuts, provide consumer protections for self-pay hospital patients, address rising health care costs, and advance comprehensive health care reform.
Mr. Wright came to Health Access with consumer policy expertise in health care, education, media, telecommunications and utilities, community reinvestment, and insurance. He has been widely quoted in local and national media on these issues.
Prior to this position, Mr. Wright served as Program Director for New Jersey Citizen Action, the state's largest consumer watchdog coalition. He has also worked at the Center for Media Education, The Nation magazine, and in Vice President Gore's office in the White House. Mr. Wright graduated from Amherst College with a B.A.
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Previous Consumer Health Advocate Recipients
| 2005 |
Aranthan S. Jones, Senior Health Policy Advisor, Office of Rep. Donna Christensen
Ellen Leitzer, Codirector, Senior Citizens’ Law Office, Inc.
Mary G. Troupe, Executive Director, The Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities |
| 2004 |
Bruce D. Lesley, Senior Health Policy Advisor to Senator Jeff Bingaman (D) NM
Ruth T. Perot, Co-founder and Executive Director of Summit Health Institute for Research and Education, Inc. (SHIRE)
Robert Restuccia, Executive Director of Community Catalyst and one of the founders of Health Care for All |
| 2003 |
Joe Ditre, Executive Director of Consumers for Affordable Health Care (Illnois)
New York State Assemblymember, Richard N. Gottfried
Bart Diener & Ericka Smith, SEIU Local 660 (Los Angeles County, CA) |
| 2002 |
Texas State Representative Elliott Naishtat
Jim Duffett, Executive Director of the Campaign for Better Health Care (Illinois)
Silvia Portillo, Tenants' and Workers' Support Committee (El Comite), Alexandria, Virginia |
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2001
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Richard Kirsch, Citizen Action of New York
Chellie Pingree, Former Maine State Senator
Margarita Romo, Farmworkers Self-Help, Inc., Dade City, Florida
Families USA Lifetime Advocacy Award Recipient
Rep. Henry A. Waxman, U.S. House of Representatives |
| 2000 |
Texas State Rep. Garnet F. Coleman
Justin Dart, Jr., renowned disability advocate
Many Pino, Health Action New Mexico |
| 1999 |
Gordon Bonnyman, Executive Director of the Tennessee Justice Center
California State Assemblyman Martin Gallegos
The Parents of the UPO Head Start Medicaid Managed Care Monitoring Team of Washington, D.C. |
| 1998 |
Oklahoma State Senator Angela Monson
Maryann O'Sullivan, founding director of Health Access (CA)
Bridgett Taylor, Minority Staff for the House Commerce Committee |
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