PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Dr. Adam Hill, Emergency Medicine Physician at Elmhurst Hospital
3:23:29
ยท
98 sec
Dr. Adam Hill, an emergency medicine physician at Elmhurst Hospital, testifies about the need for adequate funding for physicians in the NYC Health + Hospitals system. He emphasizes the importance of competitive wages to improve recruitment and retention of doctors, drawing comparisons to successful contract negotiations for nurses and physician assistants within H+H.
- Highlights the success of better contracts for nurses (33,000 hired) and physician assistants (improved retention at Elmhurst)
- Acknowledges that H+H physicians don't expect market wages but need more competitive compensation compared to private hospitals
- Calls on the City Council to invest in funding H+H to support physicians and patient care
Adam Hill
3:23:29
Hi.
3:23:29
I'm Adam Hill, an emergency medicine physician currently Elmhurst Hospital previously at Woodhull in my, early career, part of the Elmhurst Bargaining Committee for this current contract.
3:23:41
I'm here to speak a little bit on the lack of adequate funding physicians, we've talked a lot about recruitment being key, retention being key.
3:23:48
I'm not gonna talk about that.
3:23:49
But one thing that council, member de la Rosa mentioned, asking doctor Katz if he had any examples of, ways that they've been able to improve recruitment in other agencies within H and H, but also outside.
3:24:01
And they have.
3:24:02
Within H and H, they got better contract for the nurses.
3:24:05
And he said himself, 33,000 nurses hired.
3:24:09
The physician assistants got a better contract.
3:24:12
I work at Elmhurst.
3:24:13
We haven't lost a physician assistant in years now since we have this new contract.
3:24:18
The same thing can happen for our physicians.
3:24:21
He talks about market wage.
3:24:23
We know we're not gonna make market wage.
3:24:24
The physician from King's Counter, he knows he's not making market wage.
3:24:27
We know all this, but what we're asking is that we need to have a funding for competitive wages that are at least comparable to a degree with the private, profit driven hospitals that all doctors are gonna have to figure out where they take this mission.
3:24:45
And I believe in the mission, but a lot of new doctors, that mission might not only that mission might only get them so far.
3:24:53
So what I'm asking for this council is to help, by helping fund the public health care system, fund H and H, invest in your fellow New Yorkers, and help me and all the other physicians here continue to take care of this city.