Sandy Eaton

Sandy Eaton

Sandy Eaton is a Massachusetts activist. He represents the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

Labor Campaign for Single Payer

Sandy Eaton was on Labor Campaign for Single Payer's Steering Committee as of May 14, 2023.

Open Letter from RWU to the President

In November 2022 Sandy Eaton signed the Open Letter from RWU to the President .

WEB DuBois Clubs of America

In 2013, Sandy Eaton was listed a a friend on the DuBois Clubs Facebook page.

Communist Party reformer

In 1991 Sandy Eaton, Massachusetts, was one of several hundred Communist Party USA members to sign the a paper "An initiative to Unite and Renew the Party" - most signatories left the Party after the December 1991 conference to found Committees of Correspondence.

Committees of Correspondence

In 2001 Sandy Eaton, was a staff nurse at Quincy Medical Center, a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, as well as the Labor Party and the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism.

Single payer advocate

In 2005 Eaton was Chairof MASS-CARE (Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Health Care).

Single-payer health care system touted

150 rally in support of concept at regional forum at UVM By Nancy Remsen Burlington Free Press March 18, 2009'

Dr. John Walsh, a neuroscience researcher from Worcester, Mass., stood Tuesday with 150 other sign-carrying supporters of government-financed health care outside the building where 400 invited guests would attend a regional health care reform forum sponsored by the Obama White House. Walsh passed out yellow fliers that denounced President Barack Obama for failing to live up to promises to consider a Canadian-style health insurance system. “Single payer is the choice in the polls,” Walsh declared.

Sandy Eaton of Quincy, Mass., and a member of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, came to the only forum scheduled for the Northeast to add his voice to those demanding that national policymakers weigh the merits of a government-financed system when they discuss reform options. “Let’s make sure there is a fair and legitimate comparison,” Eaton said.

Rebecca Elgie, a retired teacher, traveled six hours from Ithaca, N.Y., because she has made advocacy for a single-payer system her cause. Three years ago she walked 400 miles across her state to raise awareness about the need for a better way to pay for health care. Elgie said, “The employee-based system has outlived its usefulness.”

The rally greeted the invited guests as they strolled toward the Davis Center at the University of Vermont under a bright blue sky. “They need to know there is enough support for people to drop everything and come here to support single payer,” said Dr. Deb Richter, a Montpelier family physician and prime force in the single-payer movement in Vermont.

“Barack Obama is with us,” Richter told the rally participants. “President Obama is in a leaky boat out there in an ocean surrounded by sharks. We can’t expect President Obama to stick his toe in the water. He needs our help. That is why we are here today.”

Many at the rally were sure single-payer advocates would be ignored during the forum, even though some, including Richter, had tickets. But Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, who co-hosted the forum with Gov. Jim Douglas of Vermont, didn’t duck the topic. He put a spotlight on it.

“Is there one way?” Patrick asked the audience. “Should we have a couple of different ways or should we have a national template? Let’s talk a little about single payer.”

Richard Slusky, chief executive at Mount Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, described himself as a single-payer advocate, but added, “It doesn’t have to be an absolute, government-run system. We can have a system that involves the private sector.”

Susan Baker of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group said, “People want choice.” She said a publicly financed health insurance option should be available to anyone, not just those with low income.

Patrick called on Richter, who sat in a front row in her white coat. Noting the administrative burden that physicians face dealing with dozens of health insurance payers, Richter asked, “Why would we even need private insurance?”

Jim Hughes, a retired physician from West Fairlee, observed the sky didn’t fall when Patrick, a politician, dared to say the words “single payer.”

“We ought to talk about it,” Patrick said.

Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, offered a cautionary note about a single-payer system. She asked how many in the audience had health insurance, and then asked, “How many people would want to change what they have? That is one thing we have to keep in mind.”

“What will you do for the next generation?” asked Bronwyn Fleming-Jones, a University of Vermont senior worried about how she will pay for health insurance after she graduates in two months.

Will reform consider the importance of home health care? asked Gary Sheehan, president of Cape Medical Supply.

Ira Byock, director of palliative care at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, urged policymakers to “focus on people, not patients and think beyond the silo of the health care budget.”

DeParle and the two governors will report to Obama about the forum. Three more forums are scheduled in other areas of the country. DeParle said she was learning information about programs that work, ideas that should be tried and political strategy to win support for change.

“You have two governors here who figured out how to get that support,” DeParle said.

“It took a very broad coalition to come together to design health care reform in Massachusetts and they have stayed together,” Patrick said. He added, it also took a realization “that there were other choices than the two choices on the table — the perfect solution and no solution at all.”

Boston Health socialists lobby for healthcare

According to Boston Democratic Socialists of America member Rand Wilson, On Sept. 1 2005 Congressmen John Tierney and Maurice Hinchey heard testimony in Boston support of a “Medicare for All” solution to the health care crisis.

The growing severity of this crisis brought together over 40 grassroots organizations for an impressive—and unusual—showing of political unity for health care reform based on extending Medicare to everyone.

Reps Barney Frank, Jim McGovern and John Olver and John Tierney were sponsoring legislation in the House—HR 676—that would implement this approach.

The hearing, initiated by Massachusetts Jobs with Justice and cosponsored by numerous health care, labor and community groups including Boston Democratic Socialists of America, was attended by over a hundred people.

“A plan like Medicare for All brings ‘Everybody In’ and leaves ‘Nobody Out’,” said Catherine DeLorey, a member of Massachusetts Public Health Association’s board of directors. “It creates powerful incentives to strengthen public health programs that will eventually make everyone healthier and save society billions of dollars.”

IUE-CWA Local 201 member Carol Cormier said, “It’s clear to me and my union that all employers are trying to resolve the health care crisis on the backs of their employees.

“The system they’ve set up for the new Medicare Rx plan brings in unnecessary middlemen,” said Ann Stewart, a member of Mass Senior Action Council and participant in the Prescription Advantage program.

“Over fifteen years of privatization, deregulation, job reengineering, managed care, hospital closures and cuts in essential services has resulted in an industrial model of health care that I call mangled care, ” said long-time reform advocate Sandy Eaton,a member of Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, who works as an RN at Quincy Medical Center.

“When we started organizing the hearing, only one member of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation had signed on. Now we have four out of the ten,” said Paul Cannon, President of Teamsters Local 122 and co-chair of Jobs with Justice’s Health Care Action Committee.

“Skyrocketing costs, deteriorating quality of care, loss of insurance coverage and access to essential services is affecting everyone’s health care, ” said Rep. John Tierney. “Common sense solutions like extending Medicare to cover everyone can save money while improving quality and access to health care for all.”

Former WBZ TV 4 news reporter Sarah-Ann Shaw, a civil rights organizer and human services advocate, moderated the forum.

Democratic Socialists of America

On September 24, 2006, Boston Democratic Socialists of America presented its 25th Annual Debs–Thomas–Bernstein Award to their "longtime comrade, Director of Massachusetts Neighbor to Neighbor, Harris Gruman". The event which was hosted by former Neighbor to Neighbor Director John Maher and Co-Chaired by Senator Pat Jehlen and Massachusetts AFL-CIO Vice President Ed Collins, was also a fundraiser for both Boston DSA and the Mass Alliance. Some Alliance-endorsed candidates were among the attendees, including Denise Provost, Jarrett Barrios, Willie Mae Allen, Claire Naughton and Will Brownsberger. John Maher and Ellen Sarkisian hosted the event; Julie Johnson of the Mass Teachers Association MC'd the event, while primary organizers were Susan Davidoff and Mike Pattberg. Abby Rockefeller & Lee Halprin and Patricia Armstrong, Boston Teachers Union, Local 66, were benefactors of the event.

Sandy Eaton was a patron of the event.

Open Letter to Obama on Iran

In 2008 Sandy Eaton of South Shore Coalition for Human Rights, Quincy, MA signed an online petition “A Open Letter to Barack Obama on Iran”.

Committees of Correspondence NCC

In 2009 Sandy Eaton, Massachusetts, was elected to the National Co-ordinating Committee of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and and Socialism from the member's post National Convention ballot.

Labor Campaign for Single Payer

In 2009 Sandy Eaton, MA Nurses Association (w/Sandra Hottin) served on the Steering Committee of Labor Campaign for Single Payer.

Boston CCDS healthcare emphasis

According to Boston Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism member Quentin Davis, Boston CCDS several years ago adopted a resolution to concentrate on healthcare reform. This led to a series of teach-ins starting in December 2010 sponsored by Boston CCDS as well as the Center for Marxist Education (CPUSA), Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Democratic Socialists of America.

All of our chapter, including Paul Warnick (now deceased) and Greg King (now deceased), worked hard on the teach-ins.

Since December 2013, Greg King, John Ratliff, Sandy Eaton and Quentin Davis organized meetings of Health Justice for Boston, a project of Mass-Care, and began editing our monthly newsletter, with input from other activists. All chapter members have attended multiple meetings and almost all have contributed to the newsletter, especially Sandy, John and Quentin.

Anti-Trump meeting

According to a report by Sandy Eaton, Over 120 people from across the Massachusetts South Shore and beyond gathered in the United First Parish Church in Quincy Square on January 5th to discuss their concerns regarding growing threats to human rights and the environment, and to plan actions to promote equality, fairness and a healthy climate. This event was sponsored by the South Shore People’s Network and the South Shore Coalition for Human Rights, and hosted by the church’s Social Justice Concerns Committee.

Reverend Rebecca Froom, Minister of the Church of the Presidents, greeted everyone. Deanna White-Hebert, president of the South Shore Coalition for Human Rights, recalled the Coalition’s forty-year history of struggle against racism. Nick Giannone, a union activist from North Weymouth, introduced four invited speakers and then chaired the lively discussion that followed.

Cameron Bateman of the Massachusetts Nurses Association spoke, as did Lily Huang, a life-long Quincy resident, representing Jobs with Justice, and Nicole Sullivan from Boston Feminists for Liberation. Clayton Nino Brown, representing the ANSWER Coalition, urged folks to go to Washington on January 20th to protest the Inauguration.

Pioneer Valley DSA Facebook group

Members of the Pioneer Valley Democratic Socialists of America public Facebook group, as of October 15, 2017 included Sandy Eaton;

DSA Boston Public Facebook Group

Members of Boston Democratic Socialists of America Public Facebook Group, in January 2017 included Sandy Eaton.