EAST PALESTINE — The Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment — a community oversight committee made up of local residents impacted by the rail disaster — will lead a “March for Medicare for All” today from noon to 3 p.m. at the Columbiana County Courthouse in Lisbon.

According to the UCEP, the event is a “rally to stand in solidarity with the impacted residents of East Palestine and surrounding areas, who are suffering in all too many ways” and demand the implementation of Social Security Act 1881a to the derailment.

The policy provides free health care to citizens whose health is impacted by environmental disasters. The government applied the act in Libby, Montana, where 10 percent of the residents have been diagnosed with an illness related to naturally-occurring asbestos that was unearthed under the town of 4,000 during mining operations.

Marianne Williamson, a longshot Democratic presidential candidate, met with East Palestine residents during a campaign sto1p in May in Darlington, Pa. and advocated for the policy’s invocation in East Palestine.

Williamson said that East Palestine and other surrounding communities deserve free health care as they face an uncertain future of adverse health impacts.

“There is a governmental right that was already exercised before in Libby, Montana, that the government can come in here and say that everyone who is in any way affected by this situation will have free universal health care,” Williams said. “There is a way the government could declare an emergency situation.”

East Palestine resident Jessica Conard advocated for the same in an op ed she penned for Newsweek. The opinion piece, which is published on Friday by Newsweek, is an open letter to President Joe Biden.

“Our bodies have suffered from nosebleeds, headaches, respiratory illness, intestinal irritability and eye irritation. Community members are now experiencing neurological symptoms and rectal bleeding — enough for blood transfusions,” Conard wrote. “If you take action now, you can save lives. If you delay, then people will die. We know the cancer clusters are coming. We deserve the same protections as the people of Libby, Montana, who are now all eligible for Medicare following one of the worst asbestos exposure incidents in history.”

Members of the UCEP will speak at the rally and free aid consisting of water and groceries will be provided to residents impacted by the derailment.

selverd@mojonews.com