Just two days before New York’s National Puerto Rican Day Parade, 1199SEIU Pres. George Gresham hosted a “Speak Out” at the Union’s Manhattan headquarters on health issues facing Latinos, particularly Puerto Ricans. The theme of this year’s parade is “Salud: Celebrating Your Health.”

“We meet here today to stand with our sisters and brothers from Puerto Rico to let them know that we will do all we can to ensure that residents on the island will soon have universal health care in the form of a single-payer system,” Gresham declared at the June 7 speak out.

Gresham’s reference was to Bill 1185, introduced last month in the Puerto Rican House of Representatives. It calls for the establishment of a panel to study the efficacy of a universal healthcare system in the island nation.

Gresham, who is the international grand marshal in this year’s parade, stressed the importance of health care to all 1199ers. “We know the difference quality care means to each of us. We also know the devastating effects of the lack of care,” Gresham declared.

His remarks were reinforced by Carmen Ramos, a long-time 1199SEIU member and a registrar at Manhattan’s Lenox Hill Hospital. “We at 1199 have been blessed with quality care,” Ramos said. “I see the despair of patients who come to the hospital with no insurance. Luckily, because of my 1199SEIU coverage, my late husband was able to spend the last days of his life with dignity and with loving care.”

“Health care is a human right,” Ramos said to applause.

Manuel Perfecto, president of Puerto Rico’s General Union of Workers (UGT), an affiliate of 1199SEIU’s parent union, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), followed Ramos. Perfecto is the padrino in the Puerto Rican Day Parade.

“Every human being, be they rich or poor, from birth to their final days, deserves quality care,” Perfecto stressed. “Although Puerto Rico spends 20 percent of its budget on health care, many are still not covered. We need a universal system that’s not based on the profits of a few.”

Perfecto called for a broad movement to make that possible. “We cannot depend on politicians who make promises every four years,” he declared.

Dr. Edward Ibarra, president of Puerto Rico’s College of Medical Surgery, traced the history of health care on the island and warned about false claims of universality. “What we are calling for is Medicare for all,” he said. “Twenty-eight of the 29 industrialized nations have true universal care. The U. S. is the only one that doesn’t.”

“Across the river in New Jersey, 400,000 residents, mostly children, lack affordable health care,” said Milly Silva, 1199SEIU Exec VP for the NJ Region. “We will work with our sisters and brothers in Puerto Rico to make sure universal health care becomes a guarantee. And we will learn from them.”

Ruben Diaz, Jr., borough president of the Bronx, the final speaker, noted that the Bronx is the only county in the state with a majority Latino population. “Although we are in the midst of revitalization, we still face very tough challenges,” Diaz said. “We have the state’s highest asthma rate and large health disparities. That is our single biggest problem, because nothing is more important than your health.”

The speak out ended with chants of “The people united will never be defeated.”