NEW YORK NURSE: June 2007
by Nancy Webber
Last November, the state’s Commission on Healthcare Facilities in the 21st Century, also known as the Berger Commission, announced its recommendations for closing and consolidating hospitals and nursing homes in the state.
The Berger Commission report assumed the force of law in January 2007, when it was not rejected by either the State Legislature or the two governors that held office during that period.
The recommendations were based on the assumption that the state has too many patient beds and the healthcare system would benefit from reducing capacity. NYSNA members at Cabrini Medical Center and Westchester Square Medical Center (WSMC) were particularly concerned because their hospitals are slated to be closed by June 2008.
Many of these nurses participated in a multi-union demonstration at the State Capitol in December 2006 and other meetings and hearings that have occurred since then. NYSNA members and staff from the affected facilities have met with their state legislators.
While there have been rumors that the State Legislature would amend or rescind some of the Berger Commission mandates, none have yet turned out to be true. In the meantime, the state Department of Health (DOH) is proceeding with its plans to implement the closings and mergers. It announced in May that the 81 affected facilities can apply for $550 million in grants to cover some of their costs. The grant requests must be submitted by July 16, and applicants must agree to follow a Berger compliance plan.
“The catch is that facilities that apply early are more likely to be funded,” said Lorraine Seidel, director of the NYSNA Economic & General Welfare Program “Hospitals and nursing homes that keep fighting or wait for legislative action will be left out in the cold.”
At WSMC in the Bronx, nurses and other staff are waiting to hear about the possible takeover of the facility by Columbia Presbyterian. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed,” said Ron Abrahall, NYSNA nursing representative. “It’s believed that the sale might satisfy the concerns raised by the Berger report.”
Community members and local politicians have defended the need to keep WSMC open to serve the surrounding community, a lower middle-class neighborhood with a high percentage of elderly residents that will have difficulty traveling to more distant hospitals for care.
At Cabrini, it is expected that the acute-care facility will close. A portion of the facility may be leased by Calvary Hospital in the Bronx and operated as an ambulatory surgical and rehabilitation center.
While some nurses will remain on staff, it is likely that some will have to seek employment elsewhere. At present, only a few RNs have left Cabrini because of the anticipated closure. NYSNA staff and Cabrini nurses met with members of Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s staff in April to discuss how the state can help nurses who are displaced.
“We are hoping to get a good severance package for RNs,” said Lolita Compas, chair of the Cabrini bargaining unit. “When they take a job at another facility, their seniority is gone. We hope that some of the funding available to the hospital will be used to help them make a transition.”