December 2010 mailing

The CPHS Annual Membership Meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 6th, 2010, 6:30 pm, at the Urban Justice Center, 123 William Street, 16th floor.  Our keynote speaker is State Senate Health Committee Chair Tom Duane.   CPHS will also present the annual program and financial report, as well as approving new officers and board members.  PLEASE DO JOIN US.

There are lots of things going on in New York, particularly with a new state administration moving into place.    CPHS has been active in sending out lots of information via email to our listserv – so if you do have email, please let us know because you will get more information in a timely way.  There is a great deal of concern about the Governor-elects' Health Transition Team.  The composition of this team is troubling because it is heavily weighted toward hospitals, big hospitals, has no community health center representatives, and very few people of color.  We understand that advisors to the new governor-elect are lobbyists/consultants to the hospital associations/private hospitals so there is concern about what the new administration may be doing.

The Health and Hospitals Corporation is implementing its' "Road Ahead" proposal and there are great concerns about parts of it.  There have been serious proposed service cuts at Harlem Hospital.  HHC has already closed five Child Health Clinics and a dental clinic. People are being laid off and there are lots of other problems.  We all have an opportunity to have our say about these cuts and closings at the HHC Annual Public Meetings.  The Bronx already had its' hearing, but the four other boroughs are still to come.  Details below – please find attached the HHC Talking Points that CPHS prepares each year and can be used in your testimony – but please add your personal knowledge or experience as well.  The hearings are all from 6 to 8 pm.  It is best to call in advance to reserve a time to speak.  Call 212-788-3360.

Please call us if you would like more information or help in preparing your testimony.  Do attend and testify.  You will be talking to members of the Health and Hospitals Corporation board.

  • Staten Island – Tuesday, November 23rd at 6 pm at Sea View Hospital, 460 Brielle Avenue, Lou Caravone Community Services Building.
  • Queens – Wednesday, December 8th at 6 pm at Queens Hospital Center, 82-68 164th Street, "N" Building – Main Floor Auditorium.
  • Brooklyn – Tuesday, December 14th at 6 pm at Kings County Hospital, 451
    Clarkson Avenue, "T" Building Auditorium.
  • Manhattan – Tuesday, January 11th at 6 pm at Bellevue Hospital Center, 462 First Avenue, 12th Floor Conference Room.

We are all getting ready for National Health Reform which should be fully implemented by 2014.  But it is a serious problem if a major safety-net provider, the Health and Hospitals Corporation, is having tough financial problems and off-shedding services.  What happens when more people get health insurance coverage, will there be enough services available in our communities to provide care?  What happens to residents who will not be eligible for health insurance coverage, and there are many people in that category, will there still be safety-net services available for them in our communities?  This is a moral and a financial problem.  We all need to be ready to step up to the plate and prepared to fight to ensure that we still have services available, accessible, and acceptable to provide care to low-income, medically underserved, immigrant and communities of color.

CPHS is working with other community organizations, advocates, and unions to fight for equity and some fairness in public funding.  We hope that you will join us in working on these campaigns.  Community voices are VITAL and NEEDED!