NY RNs, Patients and Families share concerns about UPMC Practices

New York residents and patients deserve affordable, quality healthcare in our communities.

We want WCA Hospital to be a strong community hospital, but the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) isn’t the answer.

As nurses on the frontlines of care in Jamestown, Buffalo, Dunkirk and cities throughout Western New York, we’re troubled by UPMC's record and business practices that lead to high prices, limited access to care and little community discussion.

As we’ve seen in New York and in nearby Pennsylvania, when UPMC’s practices go unchecked patients and communities are left in the lurch:

• Residents and caregivers in Dunkirk and Irving know first-hand when UPMC takes control of their care. Brooks Memorial Hospital and TLC Health both struggled under UPMC’s management until they chose to dissolve their affiliation with UPMC.
• In 2013, UPMC began denying in-network service to patients with its rival’s insurance plans. Even patients who offered to pay cash to continue to see their specialists were denied in-network access. The Pennsylvania governor and attorney general had to step in and force UPMC to sign a Consent Decree, giving BlueCross subscribers the right to use UPMC hospitals. Many of our neighbors visit UPMC Hamot for care, but who knows what will happen once the consent decree expires in 3 years?
• UPMC has a long history of breaking its promises, including trying to push 182,000 seniors out of its networks, and even closing community hospitals in western PA.
• UPMC consistently charges the highest rates for care without higher quality outcomes.

We know community hospitals are struggling, and we need solutions. Real solutions that result in accessible affordable care.

Jamestown and our surrounding communities also need a voice in our healthcare.

Click here to share your concerns with the New York Public Health and Health Planning Council before their next meeting on June 9.

We need them to know what’s at stake before they make any decision that will determine our healthcare for decades.

At a previous public hearing, nurses, healthcare workers and community members shared their experiences with UPMC and their concerns about the proposed deal in Jamestown. Read their stories below:

Carol Ames, healthcare worker at Brooks Memorial Hospital

Laura Gilbert, LPN, Lakewood

Tami Gustafson, local home health aide

David Wilkinson, Jamestown Labor Council

Geoff Webster, Value Capture

Antoinette Kraus, Pennsylvania Health Access Network