Union Targets Five Communities

Kicking off their campaign to reverse Governor Pataki's proposed $2 billion in Medicaid cuts, members of District Council 37, the city's largest municipal employee union, today distributed leaflets to the public in the communities surrounding five HHC hospitals. The hospitals, which have received high or perfect scores on their recent accreditation inspections, were: Bellevue and Harlem hospitals in Manhattan; Elmhurst in Queens; Woodhull Hospital and Mental Health Center in Brooklyn; and North Central Bronx Hospital in the Bronx.

"We cannot allow Governor Pataki to take out his scalpel and perform radical surgery on our public hospitals," said Lillian Roberts, Executive Director of DC 37. "They are the city's health care safety net —on the frontline in the event of terrorist attacks, serving the poor, the thousands of uninsured, and anyone with an inability to pay. The public hospitals are essential for these patients and their communities. The Governor's proposals will result in an immediate $200 million loss in HHC funding. Fifteen children's clinics may close eliminating public heath services to needy children. Many programs servicing the health care needs of the mentally ill and those most at risk will end, as a result of his proposed budget.

"Even as HHC resources are already stretched to the limit," Ms. Roberts said, "the Governor proposes these massive cuts that he knows the public hospitals cannot absorb. The cuts will undermine the progress made at hospitals that have been rated as among the best in the nation. Years of hard work and dedicated service by DC 37 members helped to make our public hospitals successful. Now all that hard work is being jeopardized."

"We will not stand idly by and see our public health system decimated and our members' jobs put at risk. We understand that the state has a large budget gap, but that is no excuse to wreck our public health care system and take away our jobs," said Ms. Roberts. "We say 'No' to Pataki's ill-conceived proposal that will do great harm to the uninsured, senior citizens, sick children, and the physically and mentally disabled."

DC 37 is asking the public to sign petitions against the cutbacks; send a postcard to Governor Pataki saying, 'Stop the Medicaid Cuts'; and visit and call elected officials to tell them to stand up for our public hospital system and fight these cuts.

Background: Over the last three years, HHC facilities have consistently exceeded the average accreditation scores of all hospitals in New York City. More than 1.2 million New Yorkers were treated at HHC hospitals, nursing homes and clinics last year. The Governor's Medicaid proposal cuts would eliminate Medicaid coverage for approximately 234,000 low-income children. It would eliminate health care coverage for an estimated 47,000 low-income adults. It would slash funds for poison control, emergency medical services, and cancer initiative. It would include a total loss of 4,000 jobs in HHC public hospitals and 38,000 jobs statewide.