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Public Health Care Under the Knife

The NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation has concluded the first year of its four year restructuring plan to address a deficit of $1.2 billion dollars. Clinics services have been cut and there are over 900 less staff. In addition, HHC will face an additional $150 million in cuts due to proposed cuts in Medicaid if the proposals from the Medicaid Redesign Team are implemented by Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislator. DC 37, other unions and community advocates are concerned that these recommendations will sharply cut services, staffing levels and outsource critical core services impacting the patients’ safety and health.

DC 37 opposes HHC’s proposal to contract-out Brooklyn Central Laundry work to Unitex, Inc., Sodexo, Inc. and Nexera, Inc. and lay off 200 dedicated laundry workers, a violation of an HHC agreement with the local community and the union. This plan could result in inventory control problems, delivery delays (since Unitex is located in Mount Vernon, New York and responsible for the laundering of the linen and other items) and jeopardize the safety and health of the patients and workers. For a flyer, click here. (PDF*)

DC 37 also opposes HHC plans to lay off half of the skilled trades’ workers.
Without in-house trades’ titles, HHC will be forced to rely on outside contractors, negatively impacting the quality of repair and maintenance work and endangering HHC’s high ratings with the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations.

Join us in speaking out against this plan. Please call on the City Council, Governor, and state and federal legislators and urge them to allocate additional funds to help HHC meet its uncompensated care costs and keep valuable services in place and workers on the job.

Call Mayor Michael Bloomberg at 212-788-3000, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn at 212-788-7000, and your City Council member at 212-788-7100.

Call Governor Cuomo and your state legislator toll-free at: 1-877-255-9417

Call Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand or your Congress member toll-free at: 1-877-762-8762

Your messages are needed to keep HHC surviving and thriving for years to come.

• Private deals versus patient care at HHC
• Union and HHC fight federal Medicaid cuts
• Alert: Speak out at an HHC meeting (PDF*)
• Brooklyn Central Laundry Closing: Dirty Deal for New York (PDF*)
• Speak Out Against HHC’s Restructuring Plan (PDF*)
• Governor Cuomo: Don’t Hurt our Health Care! (PDF*)
• Video: DC 37 and Allies Speak Out at Medicaid Redesign Public Hearing. See Video
• HEAT Petition: We Oppose the HHC Four-Year Plan Reductions that Hurt Community and Patient Care (PDF*)
• HHC Uncompensated Care (PDF*)
• Members rally against health-care cuts
• HHC staff battles killer cuts

Get Involved

HEAT activists from DC 37 and other public hospital unions are part of the grassroots fight for better health care in our communities. To learn more and get involved, click on the links below.

• Get Involved: HEAT Brochure and Sign-up (PDF*)
• AFSCME Info on National Health Care Reform

*Download Acrobat Reader to view and print PDF files.