Jo Beall

What are you most passionate about?

  • “wholeness” which is connected to health, because to heal is to become whole: health = wholeness = we are one deeply connected to and impacted by all living things;
  • all things Peace and Social Justice;
  • my new state of Oregon;
  • whalewatching;
  • gardening;
  • gathering everyone’s health care stories, and yes, stories are another passion;
  • midwifing soul, helping with the birthing of consciousness, mindfulness meditation and of course,
  • the Archimedes Movement!

Strangest place you talked about tWe Can Do Better to a stranger?
Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland

What in your life experience lead you to be active in health care reform?
I was first inspired to get involved many years ago when I started hearing about the numbers of uninsured in the USA and that we were the only developed nation that didn’t provide health care to our citizens, which is totally unacceptable especially in light of how much we spend on war. It got underlined (emphatically) when, after a diagnosis of advanced metastatic cancer and while in ICU, I realized that whether we live or die in the US boils down to access to health care.

Can health reform be fun?
I would not be involved if it wasn’t a blast. Laughter is the best medicine, what could possibly be more fun than traveling with a bus load of people to Salem to meet and greet our legislators, the superheroes who passed the landmark legislation putting us in a perfect place to lead the nation in health care transformation.

Coffee or tea? Elvis or Beatles?
Beatles, definitely…  Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, coffee, which I never drank before, has become a treat…

Most fun thing you have done with/for We Can Do Better?
Has to be Top 10:
10. Editing Google Docs
9. Making name tags, trifolding brochures
8. Attending Town Halls
7. Calling & Inviting all state legislators to AM event
6. Lobbying in Salem
5. Exercising DC MoJo (daily, weekly calls/emails)
4. Coordinating the national Fall Symposium
3. Planning with Julie
2. Brainstorming with any and all who will
1. Meeting and connecting with so many wonderful people

Why should someone join We Can Do Better?
Seriously? Would you really want to be the only one on your block, neighborhood on the outs, the only uncool one? More seriously, who doesn’t want to be in on this history-in-the-making movement that will dramatically improve the lives of 100 million Americans?

If you were a Health Care Superhero – what would your name be?
I’d definitely be a Transformer named EINO, maybe EINA is the feminine form? EINO = Everybody In Nobody Out