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President Obama to speak at UCC in Milwaukee Thursday, director says “we`re ready”
President Obama to speak at UCC in Milwaukee Thursday, director says "we`re ready"
MILWAUKEE -- A community center on Milwaukee's south side will host President Barack Obama on Thursday, March 3rd. President Obama is visiting Milwaukee because the city won the White House's "Healthy Communities Challenge."
The United Community Center has been open for 46 years. The center's executive director says they've never had to plan for something quite like this.
Milwaukee won the 20-city race to get health care coverage for the previously uninsured -- netting the presidential visit with the win.
"It`s really important, as a symbol of our community, that our president is coming to their neighborhood," Richardo Diaz, UCC executive director said.
Diaz said UCC officials learned on Monday, February 29th that President Obama would be coming on Thursday.
"They called us and said `is your facility available?` and then they said `we`d like to host him here,'" Diaz said.
Richardo Diaz, UCC executive director
The visit will be a celebration of Milwaukee outperforming 19 other cities in the race to enroll people for health insurance.
Heather Dummer Combs coordinated the push for the Milwaukee Enrollment Network.
"We have an outstanding group of over 160 enrollment assistants that are fully certified and trained and capable of assisting people and answering their questions and helping them," Dummer Combs said.
Heather Dummer Combs
Dummer Combs said those assistants helped enroll 38,000 out of a pool of about 51,000 eligible people. She credits more than 100 partners -- local health departments, social service organizations and the group "Covering Wisconsin."
"They really did a lot of the heavy lifting in holding events in the community on the weekends and in the evenings to try to target as many people in the community as possible," Dummer Combs said.
Bruce-Guadalupe Middle School
The result: A visit from President Obama.
Diaz said even with the short notice, the UCC is set for Thursday.
"I think, quite frankly, every day we`re ready, whether it`s the president or really, Hispanics in this community, we treat them like presidents," Diaz said.
President Obama will be speaking at the middle school on the UCC campus -- Bruce-Guadalupe Middle School.
Between the new enrollees and those who are returning, the city says about 89,000 residents are signed up for insurance through the health exchange.
Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele issued this statement on President Obama's visit to Milwaukee: