NY Nurse HHC/Mayorals Special Issue 2013

There might not be a thing that would stop a New York City nurse from carrying out our mission – certainly not a hurricane. Last year when Hurricane Sandy came barreling up the East Coast, we were on the job. Thousands of NYSNA members live in the storm’s path: We had worries for our own families and homes. But when duty calls, we don’t falter. No matter what.

Mayor Bloomberg and city officials shut down Labor and Delivery at North Central Bronx Hospital in August, and that terrible decision is hurting women across the Bronx. Nurses at Jacobi Hospital report that they are stretched to their limit. And women are having to travel farther to give birth. In an emergency, minutes can mean the difference between a good outcome and heartache.

We can, and we must, reopen these services at North Central Bronx Hospital for the borough’s moms and babies. It’s not just that they deserve quality care close to home. Life depends on it.

HHC nurses put patients before profits every day. That’s our mission — at the bedside and in the political process, too. And what we’ve been doing is working. We won significant victories this year to stop the for-profit takeover of New York hospitals. Together we:

Stopped Wall Street and private equity investors from taking over New York hospitals. When for-profit chains take over hospitals, public hospitals and our patients are their first target. They poach paying patients and give anti-union politicians an excuse to cut public services.

Our history of struggle for quality, public healthcare

Founded in 1969, HHC is the largest city healthcare system in the country, with 11 hospitals as well as nursing homes, diagnostic and treatment centers, and primary care clinics.

The HHC mission is noble: to treat every New Yorker regardless of ability to pay, and to provide “comprehensive health services of the highest quality in an atmosphere of humane care, dignity, and respect.” This is what nursing is all about. It’s a mission we share 100 percent.

Dialysis is big business.

And city officials are bringing for-profit dialysis companies into our city’s public healthcare system.

Two multinational companies – Fresenius and Davita Healthcare Partners – dominate the industry. And the money they make is astonishing. Last year, DaVita’s CEO made nearly $28 million, making him one of the highest earning corporate heads in the country.

He has proven his commitment to our fight to protect public hospitals and access to quality care for all New Yorkers. As public advocate, Bill de Blasio has:

• Marched and rallied with us to protect public healthcare in our city.
• Taken legal action and participated in civil disobedience to stop hospital closings.
• Defended patient care and New Yorkers’ rights to quality healthcare for all.

As mayor, Bill de Blasio will put the people of New York first.

Accolades for HHC Nurses

Healthgrades, which assesses hospital quality nationwide, gave awards to two Brooklyn HHC hospitals in July: Woodhull Medical Center for “Gynecologic Surgery Excellence” and Coney Island Hospital for “Maternity Care Excellence.” Healthgrades bases its quality assessment on outcomes, using patient mortality and complication rates. These awards place Woodhull Medical Center and Coney Island Hospital in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide for these areas of women’s healthcare.

The threat to our public hospitals

Wall Street and a shadowy network of right-wing politicians want to privatize services and deregulate care in our hospitals – for one reason: money.

New York is the only state in the union that prevents for-profit publicly traded companies from running hospitals. Wall Street firms and out-of-state for-profit hospital chains are out to change that. Their success would put our public hospital system – and our mission of caring for every New Yorker – at grave risk.

Here’s their game plan, and ours to stop them.

For the first time in NYSNA’s history, we endorsed a candidate for New York City mayor this year, and we have already made a big difference in the city’s political landscape.

Our candidate, Bill de Blasio, won tremendous support in the primary because of his vision for the city — a vision that features access to quality healthcare for every New Yorker, in every neighborhood. It’s not clear as we go to press whether or not there will be a runoff for the mayoral candidate, but it is clear that New Yorkers want a mayor who puts people first.

In New York City’s HHC public hospital system, our mission is simple: We never turn anyone away. We care for every person who comes through our doors. No insurance? We give care. No name or birth date? We fill in the blanks. Everyone needing care gets it. No questions asked.

When you think about it, the HHC mission is the nursing mission: Quality healthcare for all.