00:00 - The following program is sponsored in part by customers

00:04 - bank.

00:14 - We're joined today

00:14 - by Doctor Alice Stanford, your Democrat seeking the third Congressional District.

00:18 - Why are you running for this office?

00:21 - I am running for this office

00:23 - because I am a public servant,

00:26 - and that has been my role my entire life.

00:31 - So as a pediatric surgeon,

00:33 - it was one patient, one family at a time.

00:38 - During Covid.

00:39 - I stepped up when our city, our region really needed leadership.

00:45 - When there was no plan for a very complex problem.

00:51 - And I was able to serve over

00:54 - 100,000 people in counting.

00:57 - And I want to point out that I was focused initially on those

01:02 - that had barriers and did not have the resources.

01:06 - However, when it became apparently clear that,

01:10 - a contract from the city of Philadelphia

01:14 - was given to a group of inept individuals

01:17 - that could not carry out that responsibility,

01:20 - and we were then asked to step in and do the mass vaccinations.

01:24 - The fact that I had taken care of those

01:27 - that needed a safety net or more support,

01:31 - subsequently allowed me to take care of any and everyone that needed help.

01:36 - And it's actually an example that when you take care of those

01:41 - that have challenges and barriers, first, you ultimately take care of everyone.

01:46 - And so that's my second.

01:48 - And then people know my name from service,

01:52 - not because of my family

01:55 - or because I was elected or any of those reasons.

02:00 - They know my name from serving others and with whatever influence

02:05 - I have, and or a platform I may stand on.

02:09 - It only makes sense to use that to continue to serve.

02:14 - And so it goes back to I am a public servant.

02:19 - That is getting into politics,

02:22 - but my, priority has

02:25 - and will always be about how I can improve the lives of others.

02:29 - And this is the next level to do just that,

02:33 - for the benefit of our statewide audience, which our viewers know about.

02:36 - The third Congressional District.

02:39 - So the third Congressional District is very diverse.

02:43 - It extends from, North Philadelphia all the way to south and southwest.

02:49 - It's also West Philly and Cobbs Creek, and it's also

02:53 - University City, where we have Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania.

02:57 - It's also Center City, where we have some of our, fine

03:01 - dining and shopping and, we're where our tourism is.

03:06 - The love statue is there.

03:08 - And then it's North Philly and Germantown and Mount Airy where I grew up.

03:14 - And it contains the most affluent part of the city,

03:20 - and it also contains the most impoverished of the city.

03:24 - And so when I think about

03:27 - the third Congressional District, it represents me.

03:30 - And what I mean by that is most people don't know my story,

03:35 - but I was born in North Philly to young parents.

03:39 - We were snap benefit, beneficiaries.

03:43 - So the supplemental nutrition, program or welfare or whatever folks call it,

03:49 - or whic, we were, section eight,

03:53 - I, my brother and I, section eight kids,

03:56 - we were in Abbotsford projects with my family.

04:00 - That's how we grew up.

04:01 - I was a title one kid, which is federal funding

04:05 - that goes to our under-resourced schools.

04:08 - And I was able to attend college because of a scholarship

04:12 - from Congressman Shackleford,

04:14 - called Gear up

04:16 - that because I was smart enough and poor enough, I was eligible.

04:21 - And that's how I paid, for college.

04:24 - And so I finished high school at 17.

04:27 - I go away for 18 years.

04:29 - And when I come back to Philly, my first job is at Temple University, back

04:35 - in North Philadelphia as a board certified adult

04:38 - surgeon and pediatric surgeon.

04:42 - And I have to note, I was the first black woman trained

04:45 - entirely in the United States and pediatric surgery,

04:49 - representing less than 3% of the population.

04:53 - And that came from the welfare kid.

04:57 - And I used my story as an example to say

05:01 - that welfare for my family was a bridge, not a crutch.

05:06 - And so when we talk about the third Congressional District,

05:10 - I represent those who are still part of the poorest city and filled in,

05:16 - the United States or the second poorest in the United States.

05:20 - And I represent those with a level of earned success

05:24 - or inherited wealth and everyone in between.

05:28 - And so there's not a room that I enter that I don't feel comfortable

05:34 - as someone who comes from a health care background, how would that

05:36 - experience translate into serving in Congress?

05:39 - Oh my.

05:40 - When you talk to, constituents and people in the third Congressional District,

05:46 - they will tell you that affordability of everything.

05:50 - Of course, that is, groceries, gas, childcare, housing,

05:56 - and of course, our premiums with our health care that have about

06:00 - doubled or quadrupled over the past several months,

06:04 - are a top priority.

06:06 - In addition to access to expert health care.

06:11 - And my experience, my goodness, I'm going to I'm going to start at the end.

06:16 - So where I am professionally and then ultimately how I grew up.

06:20 - So in the midst of, Covid,

06:24 - I was actually recognized by Senator Bob Casey

06:27 - at the time, who, I might add, should still be our senator. If

06:35 - things had

06:36 - been the way they were supposed to be, I believe he was.

06:39 - He is a constant gentleman that everyone respected,

06:43 - that he was a true politician in the sense of the word that he listened.

06:47 - He fought for the rights of his constituents.

06:50 - And he's someone that I admire immensely.

06:53 - And I'm sad that he's not in that seat.

06:57 - However, he he recognized the work

07:00 - that I was doing and recommended me to President Biden.

07:04 - And in that space, I was actually appointed

07:07 - as the regional director of the U.S.

07:09 - Department of Health and Human Services, which is a federal leadership position

07:14 - that did not just oversee Philadelphia, but all of the Commonwealth of PA,

07:20 - Delaware, DC, Maryland,

07:22 - Virginia and West Virginia for, substance abuse and mental health

07:28 - for women, infants and children, for the CDC, for the NIH,

07:32 - three significant pieces of legislation that I had,

07:37 - I had the privilege to be a part of was the rollout of 980.

07:42 - So a very complex,

07:45 - crisis hotline we used

07:47 - to have that was whittled down to three, numbers.

07:51 - And that happened in Philadelphia with then our secretary of health

07:54 - secretary Becerra that I led, then, lowering the cost of prescription drugs

08:00 - and making, hearing aids accessible was also

08:04 - and one of the biggest pieces of legislation with Vice President Harris

08:08 - was the extension of the postpartum care

08:11 - beyond 30 or 60 days and up

08:14 - to a year, that has passed currently and over half of, of our states,

08:20 - because we know that the morbidity and mortality or disease and death

08:25 - associated with mothers, particularly mothers of color,

08:28 - is worse than some developing nations.

08:31 - And extending that care beyond two months,

08:35 - really, extended life. So,

08:40 - that is from my, the end part,

08:44 - certainly in 2027,

08:47 - when I assumed the office of congresswoman in January of 27, I will have been

08:52 - a physician for 30 years, you know, and I graduated from med school,

08:57 - Penn State, Hershey, not far from here in Philadelphia.

09:02 - And, that was nearly 30 years ago.

09:05 - And in my time,

09:06 - I have trained at some of the best and worked at the best institutions.

09:11 - That exist and understand how to work in the confines

09:15 - of an academic, health, tertiary care hospital,

09:20 - and not just as a clinician, but as someone that,

09:25 - submits claims and also has to work closely

09:29 - with, pharmacy and also insurance companies.

09:33 - So that's coming down then, as a business owner,

09:39 - all the people who were turned away during Covid.

09:42 - And for those, looking at this, that may not be, familiar with the story

09:46 - that happened in Philadelphia, black Americans were dying at a rate

09:51 - four times greater than white Americans in our region,

09:54 - which is not dissimilar from across the nation.

09:57 - Even though Philadelphia is over 50%

10:01 - comprised of black and brown, residents.

10:04 - They were the ones that were dying at a greater rate,

10:07 - which suggests to me that systemically, there was already a problem

10:11 - that I needed to create a consortium to provide care, for these individuals.

10:17 - And so at a time in our nation when there was no plan, all we knew

10:24 - is that it was a very complex problem without a solution.

10:28 - I stepped in after reaching out to my elected officials to say, I'm a clinician.

10:34 - I'm licensed, unlike the Surgeon general, that the current president

10:38 - is trying to confirm, I am ready to jump in

10:43 - and support our our residents.

10:46 - And there was no plan.

10:48 - And so I built it, and I took the resources

10:51 - from my surgical practice, all of my,

10:55 - protective, personal equipment.

10:58 - And I partnered with a trusted, edifice in the black community,

11:02 - which was the church and also mosques, union halls and community centers.

11:07 - And I used the parking lot,

11:10 - their electricity and the restroom for my staff.

11:13 - And I built triage hospitals all along the third Congressional District,

11:18 - where we provided care at no cost for anyone who came to us.

11:24 - And so for me, what that demonstrate demonstrates

11:28 - is not just leadership and vision,

11:31 - but also execution of of a plan

11:35 - and being dynamic with the changes that were happening daily

11:39 - and all of what I needed to target the right population existed.

11:45 - But it took the vision to get people together.

11:48 - And I'm fortunate that State Senator Art Haywood and Congressman Dwight Evans

11:53 - jumped in to support not as clinicians but as legislators

11:57 - to say, here's an individual doing the work.

12:01 - We don't know what will come of this initiative

12:04 - she's bringing forth, but we currently have nothing.

12:08 - So we're going to invest in her.

12:10 - And again, it wasn't necessarily with money.

12:13 - It was with their network and their influence

12:16 - to have other people pick up the phone and listen to what we're doing.

12:20 - So there's the grassroots.

12:22 - And then finally, as a person who grew up, as I mentioned,

12:27 - in the poorest quartile in Philadelphia, I went to health center number 13.

12:33 - That was my location on Germantown Avenue, where I received, quote, the free care,

12:38 - which was the best people could do with the resources they had.

12:42 - But it was certainly suboptimal.

12:44 - And so as I took care of patients at no cost during Covid

12:50 - and I depleted my bank account, maxed out my, credit cards

12:55 - when it was when we were able to submit claims.

12:59 - Any revenue I generated and any residual funds from a go Fund me,

13:04 - or from subsequent contracts that came from the city,

13:08 - I took that revenue and reinvested

13:11 - it, and built a health center at 21st and Lehigh,

13:15 - and one of the lowest life expectancy communities in Philadelphia.

13:19 - And just a second location a year ago on State Road.

13:23 - For those with substance use, challenges, mental health

13:26 - and who are unhoused with the mayor of Philadelphia.

13:29 - So I know it's long,

13:32 - but the number

13:33 - one issue, again for most Americans affordability and health care.

13:36 - So my experience is lived.

13:39 - It's academic.

13:42 - It's I'm also a physician scientist.

13:45 - It's federal level.

13:46 - And it's also business acumen because that current business

13:50 - as we serve thousands per year, I have to make payroll

13:55 - for 35 employees every two weeks.

13:59 - And as a small business owner, that's another skill set that is unique to me

14:03 - with the other candidates in the district that are running for the seat.

14:08 - If you're elected to office, what can be done to drive down

14:11 - the cost of health care and prescription drugs?

14:15 - Well.

14:18 - Boy, there is a whole revision and reform.

14:22 - So prescription drugs, specifically in health care, I believe, was your question.

14:27 - I'm just stating it back.

14:29 - So we have to revise the Affordable Care Act.

14:32 - It's over a decade old now and people are not getting healthier.

14:37 - And the insurance companies are getting richer.

14:41 - And so what it accounts for

14:43 - or what it demands is accountability.

14:47 - Meaning the insurance companies, again,

14:50 - are receiving funding from the federal government.

14:54 - They're receiving funding from the patient.

14:58 - They're receiving funding from the hospitals as being the middleman.

15:03 - And we need to when people aren't getting healthier,

15:07 - but we continue to allocate funds, we have to get our return on investment.

15:13 - So I believe it starts with the accountability for the hospitals

15:19 - that are receiving it, for the insurance companies that the federal government

15:23 - is giving the funds to, and it all needs to be revised.

15:29 - Congresswoman, oh my goodness.

15:32 - In the in the moment, I'm just going to say AOC,

15:35 - was one of the first ones to really talk about some of the monopolies that exist

15:41 - in health care, where she demonstrated that Oak Street health

15:45 - that has permeated some of our, or communities,

15:51 - taking care of our senior citizens is owned by CVS.

15:55 - But CVS also owns Caremark and CVS, also owns

16:00 - Aetna and CVS also owns Oak Street Health.

16:04 - And so when a patient comes in to Oak Street Health

16:08 - to receive their care, CVS is getting paid.

16:11 - When the doctor recommends that you take amlodipine

16:15 - for your high blood pressure, they are negotiating the rates

16:19 - with CVS Caremark for the best reimbursable rates.

16:25 - And then as a person who, maybe lives below the poverty line,

16:30 - I only pay a certain amount based on my income,

16:34 - and then the rest is paid for by the federal government.

16:38 - So CBS is getting paid time and time again.

16:43 - How does something like that come into play?

16:45 - And I'm mentioning CVS, but how many other insurance

16:49 - companies are doing the exact same thing?

16:53 - And so when you ask, how do we make it more affordable?

16:57 - Quite honestly, I think that there is enough money out there.

17:00 - It's being misappropriated in the wrong hands.

17:04 - And then the final part is our hospitals,

17:07 - our CEOs, some of them are making

17:10 - 5 to $10 million a year.

17:15 - I mean,

17:16 - how is that possible in a city like still Adelphia, where we have

17:20 - two children's hospitals, but all children do not have access

17:26 - to the best children's hospital in the nation.

17:29 - While our CEOs are making millions of dollars.

17:33 - And so there's a lot of accountability to go around.

17:36 - And I know people keep saying we need more money.

17:39 - We need more money.

17:40 - I personally am one that would like to, you know, look underneath the sheets.

17:45 - But I bet you the money is there.

17:48 - It's being misappropriated.

17:50 - And the other way is that we could stop paying for unconstitutional,

17:55 - unsanctioned wars that are costing millions of dollars

18:00 - not once, but per day, per day,

18:04 - without the approval,

18:07 - from the legislative branch.

18:10 - And I.

18:12 - I'll just I'll stop there.

18:14 - But there there are many ways.

18:15 - And it's not from putting money from our vaccination program

18:21 - by stating these lifesaving

18:24 - vaccines are no longer recommended.

18:27 - So we reduce the cost.

18:29 - So we can use it to pay for unsanctioned wars.

18:34 - And so many of those financing are ways that we reduce

18:37 - the cost of prescription drugs.

18:39 - You know, Mark Cuban has got a good idea, right?

18:43 - Someone who is a philanthropist and is saying,

18:47 - I'm going to use my money to buy these medications at bulk,

18:52 - and then I'm going to sell them to the American people at a lower cost.

18:57 - What they're really worth per pill.

19:00 - And we at our health center are actually enrolled in that

19:03 - so that we can keep the costs down.

19:05 - So there are many, innovative ways to do it,

19:10 - but I'm going to toot my own horn and say there are only six

19:15 - Democratic doctors in Congress.

19:17 - I plan to be the seven.

19:20 - And we need to really form our own coalition and force

19:24 - and then bring in our other congressional leaders and senators to say,

19:30 - this is what's happening, and it's siphoning off the American taxpayer.

19:34 - And we're not getting healthier.

19:37 - What do you see as the greatest threat to the United States right now?

19:44 - The president.

19:47 - That's the first thing that comes to mind

19:50 - because he's not building bridges.

19:54 - He's burning them.

19:55 - And I worry about how many.

20:03 - Countries that

20:04 - he will invade and wage war, and what happens

20:09 - when they collectively decide that they want to retaliate?

20:13 - How many more lives would be lost?

20:16 - Was there a direct threat from some of the countries

20:21 - with the immediacy with which we acted upon them?

20:27 - And I'm concerned because there's no check and balance.

20:31 - I don't need to agree with you as,

20:34 - the president of the United States, but there has to be

20:39 - some guardrails, some check and balance, some moral compass

20:43 - and I believe that it's nonexistent right now.

20:47 - So I'm concerned about that.

20:50 - I'm concerned about the rogue leadership and how vulnerable

20:54 - it makes us as a nation.

20:57 - In March of 2025, the

20:59 - president had signed an executive order aimed at dismantling the U.S.

21:02 - Department of Education.

21:03 - What role should the federal government have in education policy?

21:08 - Oh my gosh,

21:10 - were these questions on just for me?

21:12 - Or is everyone getting asked the same questions?

21:15 - Unbelievable.

21:20 - For someone who,

21:22 - as I mentioned, needing food stamps to eat

21:26 - and needing like the federal, programs for heat

21:31 - in the winter time, my way out,

21:35 - my way out of poverty was education.

21:40 - So in the Philadelphia public school system,

21:44 - there was a mentally gifted

21:46 - and mentally gifted and academically talented,

21:49 - which meant if you qualify for that one day per week,

21:53 - you were given a bag of Septa tokens and you traveled to a different part

21:58 - of the city.

21:59 - For me, that meant I was leaving North Philly and Germantown,

22:03 - and I was going to West Philly, where Drexel and Penn's campus was.

22:08 - It was like a different world.

22:10 - Everything was clean.

22:12 - People were walking swiftly, going to and from class,

22:16 - and I thought to myself, how can I be a part of this?

22:20 - As a student, I noticed that the teachers paid attention to me

22:24 - more when my grades were higher, and I liked that attention.

22:28 - I like to be part of oratorical contests and and spelling bees,

22:33 - and going to the police touch museum in the Academy of Natural Sciences

22:37 - so I could learn.

22:38 - And ultimately the federal, grant I received from Congressman Shackleford.

22:44 - That is how I paid for my education.

22:46 - So if you want a government where you're born poor

22:50 - and you die poor, you dismantle the Department of Education

22:55 - if you want one where people genuinely have an opportunity.

22:59 - And maybe not everyone goes to four year college.

23:02 - Maybe some are associate's,

23:04 - maybe degree programs, maybe some are apprenticeship programs.

23:08 - But there should be the opportunity.

23:10 - It should not be non-existent.

23:12 - And so for someone who benefited directly from title one funds benefited

23:17 - directly from grants and scholarships

23:20 - I will absolutely support.

23:23 - You know, a school is the staple in so many communities,

23:28 - and I'll also work alongside at the state level, because we now know that how

23:34 - we fund our schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is unconstitutional.

23:39 - And the students that attend school in the suburbs

23:43 - and more affluent communities receive more money per pupil

23:48 - than the students that are in ZIP codes of 191, three two, for example.

23:53 - And there's not one student's life.

23:55 - That's more valuable than another students.

23:58 - And it's so how do we form city, state,

24:02 - and federal alliances that we're all working towards the same goal.

24:07 - It's also linked to crime.

24:10 - If if students don't have someplace where they feel safe, where they feel

24:14 - valued, where they can have some hope and be nurtured

24:18 - for what they can achieve in life, how do we expect them

24:23 - to be productive members of society and and our future?

24:29 - And so it's a it's an investment.

24:31 - And it's from my lived experience.

24:34 - What I have seen happen when you invest in a student

24:39 - what they're capable of doing, I mean, think about it.

24:41 - And I not had that scholarship from Shackleford Tar.

24:45 - We took care of over a hundred thousand people.

24:47 - And I'm not the, you know, two parent,

24:51 - six figure household with endowed wealth.

24:55 - I am what most of Philadelphia

24:58 - is, unfortunately, is the impoverished person.

25:02 - So imagine if you invested more

25:06 - in those students, in those young people,

25:08 - how they could change the trajectory in the betterment of Philadelphia.

25:14 - Retiring Congressman Dwight Evans,

25:15 - along with former Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter, have both endorsed you.

25:19 - What do those endorsements mean to you?

25:21 - Everything, because they are career politicians.

25:26 - You know, Congressman Evans, when he retires December 31st

25:30 - on my birthday, by the way, December 31st, 2026, he will have been in office

25:36 - either at the state or federal level for nearly 50 years.

25:42 - Can you imagine?

25:44 - And Tom and, former Mayor Michael Nutter, and I'll also add,

25:49 - former Congresswoman Allison Swartz, who also endorsed me.

25:53 - Collectively, they've got probably 100 years

25:57 - of of, elected official experience.

26:00 - And they have decided with their expertise that I am

26:06 - what we need in the city of Philadelphia,

26:09 - that it's time for new leadership, it's time for innovation,

26:15 - for folks who are sometimes leading without a title,

26:20 - for people who are doing what's right

26:22 - when no one is watching.

26:26 - For an individual

26:28 - that has shown the drive and the love for the people, and in some ways

26:33 - what politics was intended to be is representing your constituents.

26:38 - And I will continue to say, as a public servant,

26:42 - which is who I have been from the very beginning

26:46 - and coming into politics, that will not waver and change.

26:50 - And so for them to say that this is who's next,

26:54 - and they've got the experience and they know

26:58 - the other elected officials in the race, because at some point they may have been

27:03 - elected officials together and are saying, you are what we need

27:08 - is valuable to me, and I feel honored to have received it.

27:12 - And for the people who know those individuals, it is it's great for me

27:18 - because sometimes I was signing petitions this weekend in South Philly.

27:22 - And to get on the ballot and a gentleman

27:25 - said, oh, Congressman Evans endorsed you.

27:28 - Well, you should have left with that. Give me the pen.

27:31 - You know, and so it does go a long way.

27:34 - Doctor Ellis Stafford is a Democrat seeking a seat in the third

27:37 - Congressional District. Thank you for joining us.

27:40 - Thank you for having me, Francine.