O-Positive Vibration

A Festival without Precedent Is Unfolding in Uptown Kingston

by Carl Frankel and illustrations by Jason Cring, September 28, 2010

In early October, vampires from around the world will descend on Uptown Kingston for the first-ever O-Positive (“O+”) Festival.

Wait, that’s not right. Let’s try again.

From October 8th through the 10th, artists and musicians from as far away as Germany will descend on Uptown Kingston for the first-ever—and singularly innovative—O+ Festival.

By definition, festivals are all about fun: They’re about being festive. But the O+ Festival has a serious—and seriously admirable—side too. Participating artists and musicians will be paid with free health care donated by local medical professionals. Medical screenings will be provided on site, with follow-up care often available on a free or deeply discounted basis.

It’s a wonderful opportunity for the artists and musicians, many of whom don’t have health insurance. “If you’re a creative person in the arts, you don’t get a paycheck,” says Joe Concra, a local artist and one of the festival’s organizers. “If it’s a choice between paint and health care, you’ll choose paint.”

The opportunity isn’t only for the artists and musicians. It’s for the entire community. It’s not exactly a state secret that our health care system is a disaster. Nearly 50 million people lack health insurance and another 25 million are underinsured. To make matters worse, there is widespread ignorance about what medical services actually are available. In the Hudson Valley, for instance, it’s possible for people without health insurance to get discounted or even free health care. If you’re like a lot of people, your response to this is, who knew?