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Stop the Charity Cuts Protest & Press Conference Tuesday 8/19 @ 12:30 pm
by Leenie
Monday, Aug. 18, 2003 at 3:57 AM
Come out and support this important event
PRESS RELEASE
Monday, August 18, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONFERENCE ON CHARITY HOSPITAL CUTS.
The Advocates for Louisiana Public Health are holding a press conference to address the impending cuts and closures at Charity Hospital.
The conference will be held in front of Charity Hospital at 1532 Tulane Ave.
The conference will take place on Tuesday, August 19th beginning at 12:30 PM.
Speakers will be individuals representing the medical community, labor, and religious leaders. Selected political candidates are invited as guest speakers.
The event will address the unprecedented budget slash, which will cut $70 million dollars from the LSUHSC Charity Hospital System. The Times Picayune reported that proposed service cuts in New Orleans include: nine operating rooms; clinics for walk-in, HIV and diabetes patients; ending home care and hospice services for terminally ill patients; and closing 20 psychiatric beds.
The L.S.U. Board of Supervisors will be voting on the final service cuts on August 22, 2003, in Baton Rouge. The Board has the option to delay voting on the proposed service cuts by sending Charity’s budget back to the Governor for reconsideration. It is imperative that Governor Foster convenes a special, extraordinary legislative session to fully fund Charity’s budget.
There have been no scientific, peer reviewable studies conducted to determine the possible negative impact closures and cuts at the Charity Hospital system may cause. Louisiana has approximately 846,000 people without health insurance. The Charity Hospital system services the indigent and working poor populations in Louisiana. Limiting access to health care for the indigent and working poor will likely cause unnecessary suffering and deaths. Emergency room services will likely become overburdened, resulting in service delays. Medical education programs reliant on Charity’s patients face decreases in quality and specialization. Private hospitals will likely see an increase of uncompensated services resulting in elevated health care and insurance costs. Increases in employee sick days will likely have a negative impact on Louisiana’s businesses and economy.
This event is co-sponsored by LA ACORN.
For more information, visit http://www.charityhospital.org. Contact 1-800-239-7379
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