Activists organize to save Rochester, N.Y., hospital
By Gene
Clancy
Rochester, N.Y.
This community was shocked March 29 by the announcement
that Genesee Hospital would close in 90 days. Via Health, the
parent company that owns the hospital, had given absolutely
no warning.
The 114-year-old institution is one of the largest in the
area. Its closing will have a profound effect on the
surrounding communities. Over 2,000 employees will lose their
jobs, 200 in-care patients will be stranded, and the
emergency room capacity of the Rochester area will be reduced
by one third. Thousands of out-care patients will be forced
to seek alternative care.
Hardest hit will be poor and working people: Genesee
Hospital is the only full-service hospital in the central
city area and, for many specialties, the only facility that
accepts Medicaid reimbursement.
Victim of corporate greed
Genesee Hospital is not closing because it is a bad
hospital. A state-of-the-art birth ing center opened only
last year, and over $20 million has been spent over the past
decade on modernization and other upgrades.
Genesee, like many hospitals across the state and nation,
is the victim of policies that put corporate profits ahead of
human needs.
A decade ago, the Rochester community used a cooperative
"community pricing" plan for health insurance reimbursement
that was considered a national model for keeping health-care
costs down for poor and working people.
Soon after, however, local business leaders conspired to
reduce the corporate contributions made to health maintenance
organizations such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Leading this
move was George Fisher, chief executive of Eastman Kodak--
the largest employer in the area.
This push to reduce costs was taken up by political
leaders such as Gov. George Pataki, who encouraged
competition among hospitals rather than cooperation.
Cutthroat competition between Strong Health, the other major
owner of healthcare facilities in the area, and Via Health,
plus drastic reductions in reimbursements by Blue Cross/Blue
Shield, were major factors in forcing Genesee Hospital to
close. Blue Cross/Blue Shield nevertheless paid $3 million
for naming rights at a local sports arena.
Genesee Hospital must be saved
The closing of Genesee Hospital is remarkable not only for
its suddenness, but for the apparent lack of concern by local
politicians and business leaders. Virtually all of their
comments and suggestions have been to convince the community
to accept the closing as inevitable.
According to Thomas Litz, president and CEO of Via Health,
Genesee Hospital's parent company, "The decision to close
Genesee Hospital is final. It cannot, and will not be
revisited." (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, March 30)
However, this verdict is not being accepted by the workers,
patients and supporters of Genesee Hospital.
A fight-back campaign, organized by the Rochester
All-People's Congress, has been taken right into the hospital
itself. Scores of workers and patients have distributed and
posted flyers all over the facility demanding that Genesee
Hospital be saved. As a first step, organizers are targeting
the Monroe County Legislature with a three-point program.
Monroe County recently received millions of dollars in
tobacco settlement money that is supposed to be spent on
health care. The activists are demanding that this money be
used to help Genesee Hospital.
New York State must approve the closing of the hospital.
The 90 days set by Via Health are too short a time to deal
with the impact of such a devastating event. The APC is
demanding more time to prevent the hospital from closing.
If Via Health is unwilling or unable to save the hospital,
the City of Rochester or Monroe County could make Genesee a
municipal, government-owned hospital. Organizers plan to pack
the next meeting of the county legislature and present their
demands.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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