News

October 23, 2022 is a date that Jasmine Spooner, RN will never forget. She brought her then 3-year-old son, Greyson to the Emergency Room at Vassar Brothers to see why he was having abdominal pain where X-rays revealed something more troubling than the constipation she had expected. She was told to take Greyson to the pediatrician the next morning and upon doing so, found herself in Westchester Medical Center by noon where Greyson began what would be the start of many rounds of tests. On Oct. 26, Greyson was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ganglioneuroblastoma, a cancer that can affect kids in their first five years. In the 16 months since he was initially diagnosed, her little boy has endured chemotherapy, radiation, endless bloodwork, transfusions, biopsies, and prolonged hospitalizations Through it all this child has kept smiling and his family have rallied around him to give him as normal a childhood as he can have.

According to local reports, five CEOs of local hospitals in Western New York earn salaries collectively totaling over $6 million in compensation and benefits annually. Five executives of local health insurance companies in Western New York earn similar compensation packages totaling more than $5 million annually. Executives who lead some of the largest healthcare and health insurance organizations are amassing great personal wealth while everyday New Yorkers are facing life and death medical decisions.

While we still have a lot of work to do to make Single Payer a reality in New York State through the passage of the New York Health Act (NYHA), NYSNA has been working hard to achieve our goal.

My name is Tonia Bazel, RN, I work at Albany Medical Center’s Infectious Disease Unit and I introduced the single-payer resolution at the 2022 convention on behalf of the NYSNA single-payer committee.