Upstate NY 1199ers Head to Albany to Stop Another Round of Brutal Budget Cuts

Western New York 1199ers getting on buses Thursday morning, heading to Albany to tell the Legislature and Governor to stop brutal healthcare cuts that will harm patient care. New York’s healthcare industry has already been hit by six rounds of budget cuts, in the past two years. Now Gov. David Paterson is calling for another $746 million in cuts for the current fiscal year, ending next April.

“We’ve already lost $2.2 billion since 2007,” says George Kennedy; 1199SEIU Executive Vice-President for Upstate NY. “More cuts will have a detrimental impact on places like Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and Waterfront Healthcare Center. These cuts would guarantee closures and eliminate departments and services that patients depend on.”

Linda Shamrock, an RN in the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center for over 30 years, echoes that concern. “Niagara Falls Memorial is the only hospital in the entire city, Shamrock says. “The hospital has been struggling to stay afloat for many years now. As with any hospital, we have an obligation to take care of everyone that walks through our door, regardless of his or her ability to pay. Niagara Falls Memorial has absorbed $7-8 million in unpaid hospital debt each of the last several years.

“As the only hospital in the city, we see a disproportionate share of Medicaid and Medicare patients, and are therefore disproportionately harmed by such cuts to healthcare. Eighty-seven percent of our patients are on some form of Medicaid or Medicare.”