What Will be Left of the Health Care Safety Net?
TURN OUT FOR THE NEXT CRITICAL BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HEALTH CARE HEARING

Kate Scannell, M.D., wrote a moving column in the Oakland Tribune, May 29, 2003, "What Really Happened at Board of Supervisors Meeting," referring to the Beilensen hearings on May 20^th. It vividly recounted the human suffering that will result from the June 30th closure of two vital components in Alameda County's safety net, Central Health Center in Oakland and the eight Fairmont Ambulatory Care Clinics in San Leandro. Dr. Scannell noted that "members of Vote Health offered reasoned salvage financing strategies to keep the clinics open."

Along with SEIU and many others, we urged the Board to adopt a two-part strategy to save the safety net: Short-term support for the threatened clinic services from Tobacco Settlement Reserves, as an interim step until a steady funding stream could be secured from a county initiative in 2004.

However, the Medical Center has revealed that much greater cuts will be announced sometime in June. At risk is the Trauma Center, where anyone in the county can be taken if they are in a car accident, shooting or knifing incident, etc., regardless of insurance status, due to its excellent equipment and the experience of the staff in dealing with trauma. Its closing will put the burden of such mishaps on emergency rooms throughout the county, which are less well-equipped and also deal with overcrowding at times. The Women's Urgent Care service and Newark Health Clinics may also be closed. There are several reasons for the budget deficit leaping upwards in the past few months:

1. There have been several major federal and state funding cuts;
2. The state interfered with federal approval of Federally Qualified Health Center status to Highland Hospital's outpatient clinics, on which the administration had been counting;
3. There has been a strong surge in more people without any health insurance relying on the county for health care (due to rising unemployment and the poor economy), along with;
4. An unexplained drop in filled hospital beds, and thus income.
• Our strategy has changed as the budget problems increase: We are urging the Supervisors to consider the following measures in these extraordinary times:
• address the deficit in a multi-year process, while concerned parties continue to investigate revenue-generating strategies, mostly focused on a county-wide initiative for a parcel tax;
• suspend the 2% of the budget that it puts into reserves and capital projects to be used instead to stem cuts in health care and social services;
• devote the Tobacco Settlement Reserves, estimated to be $5 million, to reduce the Medical Center's deficit;
• pledge staff to work on an initiative for the March 2004 ballot to generate funding for continuation of vital county safety net services;
• reduce or suspend interest charges on the funds the County is loaning ACMC, allowing the Medical Center to operate until the state's much delayed payments arrive.

Under these dire circumstances and economic climate, we believe that emergency measures such as these are called for. Until either the economy improves or the state/country understands the crushing need for a single payer health fund (providing health care for all), an interim solution to our local health care crisis is needed.

In a special election held in April 2002, voters in the City of Alameda assessed themselves a $298 annual parcel tax to raise $6 million to keep Alameda Hospital afloat. Other California counties are assessing ballot initiatives in response to the statewide public hospital funding crisis. As health care advocates, we cannot give up when suffering, pain, and deaths of some of the 15,000 displaced patients lies in the immediate future. Please contact your Supervisor with the message "I don't accept these closures and don't want you to either."

Trauma Center, Women's Urgent Care, Newark Clinic at Risk: County Budget Hearing on Health Care Services

Alameda County's annual budget hearings take place the week of June 16th, and on Tuesday, June 17th, at 1:30, the Board of Supervisors will consider the health care budget and where the cuts will fall. These meetings take place at 1221 Oak St, 5th floor in the Board's chambers (make a left off the elevator). As everyone is now aware, this is a particularly gruesome budget year, from the Federal level on down to cities.

While the Medical Center is responsible for getting its house in order, it must have the county's help or Vote Health's worst nightmare will be realized: There will be no more dedicated services for the uninsured and underinsured, and the private public hospitals will serve only a percentage of this population in a piecemeal fashion. Please come to the hearing to give the message that the county has to get creative: Help us advocate for applying whatever funds can be located to save vital health care services for the indigent.

Single Payer Success in the Senate

SB 921 (Kuehl), the Health Care for All Californians Act, passed a major hurdle June 4 when it won (with no financial figures included) on the Senate floor by a vote of 23-14. The bill will now move to the Assembly. Thanks to all those who phoned legislators in this latest phase of the single payer campaign. Five of the six senators heavily targeted voted in favor of the bill!

If passed, this landmark healthcare reform could potentially shift more than $22 billion now being wasted on administrative costs into direct services, through a streamlined claims and reimbursement system administered by the state. Every California resident would have a health plan that includes medical, dental, mental health, prescriptions and durable medical equipment coverage while insuring every consumer the freedom to choose his or her healthcare providers.

Vote Health's Single Payer Committee will help build the Assembly campaign through continuing to seek endorsements and speaking engagements. We are particularly interested in support from local city councils and faith-based groups. The Single Payer Committee meets next on Tuesday, June 17, at 7pm at SEIU 616, 1630 Webster St., Oakland. For further information, call Sue Bergman at 540-7085.

Funeral March for the Clinics Tuesday, July 1st... EVENT CANCELED

Newsletter committee:
Nancy M. Friedman , Kay Eisenhower
Our thanks to CA Nurses Association for their help in producing this newsletter.