New York, NY- Hundreds of workers, members of 1199SEIU, braved the cold and came out at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital to send a clear message to Albany that our communities cannot afford the massive cuts to healthcare that have been proposed to balance the State budget.

Those in attendance heard from speakers including Cong. Adriano Espaillat, who talked about the damage that would be done if the cuts were allowed to stand. Moises Reyes is among the most active union members at Presbyterian, and told the crowd, “These Medicaid cuts are going to affect individuals and our community as a whole. We at New York Presbyterian stand to lose tens of millions of dollars if these cuts go through, and it’s unacceptable.”

1199SEIU Vice President Michael Ashby spoke about why members are so determined to fight the crippling budget cuts. “Cutting almost 100 million dollars would be a catastrophe for Columbia Presbyterian and the Washington Heights community it serves. Some of the city’s most vulnerable residents live in the Heights. For them, Presbyterian is their only healthcare option. Our members and the community are standing up as one to oppose these cuts.”

The Columbia Presbyterian rally is the second in a series of protests against the Medicaid and healthcare cuts. The other actions are taking place on the following dates:

Wednesday, March 6: Brookdale Hospital, 1 Brookdale Plaza, Brooklyn

Thursday, March 7: North Shore LIJ Hospital, 450 Lakeville Rd, New Hyde Park, LI NY

1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest union in New York State and the largest healthcare union in the nation. We represent over 250,000 nurses and healthcare workers in New York and over 450,000 members throughout the East Coast. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.