Bob Aronson was the Red River Valley’s first radio talk show host, starting a program on WDAY Radio called Viewpoint in 1965. From then until he left the station in 1974, Bob was a pioneer in the “call-in” audience participation concept in AM radio, a genre still going strong today, 47 years later.
Bob’s hometown is Chisholm but he started college in Hibbing, the same Minnesota Iron Range town in which Bobby Zimmerman was raised—the world got to know that fellow as folk/rock star Bob Dylan. When Aronson left Fargo he went to work as the communications director for another Hibbing native, Rudy Perpich, that state’s 34th governor (he went on to also be its 36th). From his Viewpoint years, to his association with a strong DFL leader, to his time with Minnesota Public Radio and then on to a career as a communications consultant, Bob always pursued with great passion the causes he believed in. And there is no cause he has felt more strongly about than his current involvement.
When I hosted the Mike McFeely Show on KFGO Radio a few weeks ago, I asked Bob to join me on the phone from the city in which he’s lived for a number of years: Jacksonville, Florida. It was at the Mayo Clinic there that he received a new heart on August 21, 2007. That’s right, Bob is a heart transplant recipient. It saved his life. He wants others to get the same second chance he did.
Central to Bob’s current cause is the Organ Transplant Initiative (OTI). Their mission is “to ensure that anyone who needs a transplant of any kind can get one, regardless of economic status, race, religion, gender or sexual preference.”
Since October 2010, Bob and other OTI volunteers have led a campaign to save the lives of 98 patients in the state of Arizona who were promised—then denied—Medicaid coverage for transplants. OTI reports they are “all American citizens who were certified by qualified physicians for the procedures and were on Medicaid because they are too sick to work or to raise money.”
Bob adds: “Arizona Governor Jan Brewer blames the new federal health care law. But, she signed the bill denying transplants before the national measure passed. On January 6, 2011 the second patient of 98 died because of Arizona Medicaid’s refusal to pay for the procedure. We can’t continue to let politicians decide who lives and who dies. One transplant physician says as many as 30 more could die this year – 30!
“Governor Brewer has $30 million in discretionary federal stimulus funds. She says the money is spoken for, but won’t reveal the purpose. She did find $2 million to study algae, $1.7 million to repair a roof, and $1 million to build a bridge for squirrels. Brewer says cutting transplants will save $4.5 million. Research indicates lower figures: $800,000 in 2010 and $1.4 million in 2011.
“The Governor insists that transplants are an option, but the only other option is death. Current data indicate a 95% success rate for hearts, 85-90% for kidneys and 75-85% for lungs. She also says liver transplants are still covered, but they aren’t. One current transplant candidate, Francisco Felix, was being prepped for a liver transplant when his Medicaid coverage was cancelled. He was sent home and the liver was given to someone else. Can you think of anything more heartless?”
To help out in this cause, Bob suggests: “Contact Governor Brewer and members of the Arizona legislature and urge them to change their minds; write letters to newspapers, call talk shows, contact elected officials and talk it up with your friends. If the law is not reversed, the 98 will still need transplants, so the OTI group has started a fund drive through the highly respected National Transplant Assistance Fund (NTAF). On www.savethearizona98.com you can view a seven-minute slide show entitled A Promise Broken and purchase T-shirts and other products or donate directly to NTAF.” I’ve seen this presentation and it’s powerful—very much worth your time to view.
According to OTI: “Arizona is currently the only state that has denied organ transplants for Medicaid patients but other states like California, Texas, Florida
and New York are closely watching the Arizona situation. If it isn’t stopped in the Grand Canyon State, it is likely we will see the same scenario replayed time and time again across the country.”
To learn more, or if you would like to communicate with Bob about this issue, contact him through the website mentioned above or email bob@baronson.org. Also, stop by the inspiring and informative “Bob’s Newheart” blog at this web address:
http://bobsnewheart.wordpress.com. I wish Bob and the OTI miraculous success in this effort. Organ transplants themselves are a medical miracle and it may take another kind of miracle to change a cruel and inhumane law in Arizona.
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