Strengthening Affordable Healthcare and Holding Electeds Accountable

Hicksville, NY (May 4, 2018) –On May 4, the anniversary of the day the U.S. House voted to gut Medicaid, and rip healthcare away from 24 million Americans by increasing healthcare costs by as much at 20%, and putting millions of individuals out of work, 1199SEIU members gathered to reaffirm our commitment to strengthening Medicaid, protecting the Affordable Care Act, and voting for elected officials committed protecting our healthcare.

1199SEIU members from hospitals, clinics, home care, pharmacy and nursing homes across Long Island came together to mobilize, strategize and energize for the national elections coming up in November. Luiz Valenzuela, from the Healthcare Education Project, gave an overview of what healthcare votes in Washington D.C. mean to 1199SEIU members, their families and the wider community in which we live. Lisa Tyson, the Director of the Long Island Progressive Coalition, spoke about the practicalities of getting out the vote.

Polly Henry, an 1199SEIU delegate for the past decade who now works as a CNA at Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, said: “I have been involved in politics since I was four years old and living in Jamaica.”

She recalled inviting Steve Israel to an event at a beauty parlor in her community, when he represented New York’s 3rd Congressional District, so he could describe to her neighbors what decisions made in Washington D.C. meant to them.

Henry also spoke about how every day issues could be improved through political action. She described how she successfully lobbied her representatives in Albany to provide funding for larger beds in nursing homes for tall people. Previously, larger beds were only available for the overweight, and tall people were having to suffer injury because they did not fit in the beds.

The main focus of the event was on making sure that our elected officials were willing to stand up to protect access to affordable healthcare for all.

Healthcare voters in Long Island are vigorously preparing to hold local representatives like Congressmen Peter King and Lee Zelden accountable at the polls in November and beyond.

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1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest union in New York State and the fastest-growing healthcare union in the nation. We represent over 400,000 nurses and healthcare workers in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington D.C. and Florida. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all. 1199SEIU.org Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @1199SEIU