REMARKS
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams addresses healthcare crisis and hospital closures in New York City
0:15:07
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3 min
Jumaane Williams, Public Advocate of New York City, delivers remarks on the ongoing healthcare crisis, focusing on hospital closures and their impact on communities of color. He highlights the strain on the public health system, including Health and Hospitals, and calls for city and state officials to address staffing and funding issues.
- Williams discusses the closure of 20 hospitals over the past 25 years and the potential loss of two more hospitals in the near future.
- He expresses concern over the instruction to cut patient visit times from 40 to 20 minutes at Health and Hospitals facilities.
- The speech emphasizes the need for maintaining healthcare institutions and adapting them to community needs rather than closing them.
Jumaane Williams
0:15:07
4 years ago, the COVID 19 pandemic changed the world as we knew it.
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In New York City, which quickly became the epicenter of the virus in the US.
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We saw hospitals on the verge of collapse.
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Our medical staff have worked and overwhelmed and constantly at risk as PPE resources stretched in.
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Today, we stand on the other side of that pandemic with COVID 19 part of our new normal and our healthcare systems remain in crisis with understaffed and under resource hospitals and clinics and even more closures on the horizon.
0:15:35
Over the past 25 years, we've had a total of 20 hospital closures These closures have disproportionately impacted communities of more color, will often bear the burden of adverse health effects.
0:15:46
We stand to lose an additional to hospitals in the coming years, Mount Sinai, Beth Israel on 16th Street And First Avenue in Manhattan, assuming downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, losing these hospitals, we are losing access to beds and precious resources, and we really can't afford to go back.
0:16:00
I am aware that in the past 25 years, the way we present hospital medical care has changed, but the need for or is not.
0:16:09
So my hope is that We can work with the communities of how best to present it, but not close on the institutions.
0:16:14
And, of course, it puts a strain on health and hospitals, our safety net hospitals.
0:16:18
Recently, doctors at health and hospital were instructed to cut patient visits from 40 minutes to 20 minutes and measurement to allow more patients to be seen as demand for care grows.
0:16:26
Since 2020, 2021, HNA systems have added roughly 50,000 unique patients to their care, leading to longer wait times for an appointment, but limiting the time per patient visits run the risk of diminishing quality of patient care and further contributing to burnout amongst physicians and other medical professionals.
0:16:45
When it comes to migrant populations, it is important to remember that many patients would require translation services lengthening the duration of visit Given the difficult journey here as well as circumstances in their home countries, these patients may require more treatment and tension for underlying health concerns.
0:16:59
Furthermore, the lasting impacts of long COVID still affect many New Yorkists today, and we have put no long term resources into addressing that reality.
0:17:07
Not only was this decision made with the without the consultation of doctors and the representation of doctor's counsel at CIU, but these decisions further fail to address the lack of attention and recruitment contributing to burnout and high rates of turnover.
0:17:19
After the year of contract negotiations, health and hospital's affiliates, positioned affiliate group of New York, Mount Sinai, New York, Langhorne.
0:17:27
The doctor's counsel is no close to do a contract and addresses the concerns of his members.
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As a city, we simply cannot allow our public health system to collapse right now.
0:17:34
Our system is stressed.
0:17:36
In the case of suing Downstate, many inpatient services would move to health hospitals, Kings County Hospital, which is already stretched thin.
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According to Retina Abrams Nichols, president of the Downstate chapter of United University Professionals, This spring saw the emergency room of Kings County packed with 80 patients sitting without beds on the floor with wait times over 12 hours.
0:17:55
Similarly, in the case of Beth Israel, the hospital closest by NYU Long Island Health, and the city 1 Bellevue will be impacted.
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This follows a closure of 2 large nearby hospitals in the past 20 years, Cabrini, in Carnegie Park, in St.
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Vincent's in Greenwich Village.
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City and state elected officials must come together to address these issues and ensure our public health system is fully staffed and fully funded with dignity and care insurance for patients and health care workers alike.
0:18:21
As chair Nousis mentioned, this is personal to me as well.
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I received lifesaving care when I was younger at Semic.
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My sister is a nurse practitioner from Semic.
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And my primary care physician is from SUNY Downstate.
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I'm not sure what happens if SUNY Downstate closes.
0:18:36
Thank you so much.
0:18:37
Appreciate it.
