June 17, 2024

Contact: Amanda Henning Santiago

amanda@theparksidegroup.com

Doctors Council SEIU Endorses Candidates

for the New York State Legislature

The endorsements reflect Doctors Council SEIU’s commitment to their members and the communities they serve.

(New York –June 17, 2024) Doctors Council SEIU, which represents doctors throughout New York, including in the public hospitals system, NYC Health + Hospitals, mayoral agencies such as the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of Education, as well as in correctional facilities such as Rikers Island, has announced its State Senate and Assembly endorsementsfor the upcoming June 2024 primary election for New York.

Frances Quee, M.D., President of Doctors Council SEIU,issued the following statement regarding the choices of endorsements this ahead of the general election:

“We believe in quality, affordable, and safe health care as a basic human right and social good, achieved and accessible by all, regardless of insurance, economic status, ability to pay, race, ethnicity, citizenship or residency status, language spoken, or diagnosis.

Our members know the importance of doctors’ having a voicein politics, policy and legislation, especially with elected leaders. Endorsements are part of this vital work for our members, those we care for and the communities we serve.

We thank all the candidates who participated in ourendorsement process. For New York State Senate and Assembly candidates, we want to help elect and work with those who value those who make New York run everyday such as our doctors and members.

We made our endorsements following months of reviewing received candidate questionnaires. We thank all the candidates who participated.

For the New York State Senate and Assembly, we want to help elect and work with those who value the health care providers, such as ourdoctors and members, who keep New York City in good health.

As doctors who work on the frontlines treating all New Yorkers every day, we are looking for members of the Legislature that are willing to listen to all voices and input. It is important to us as doctors that our patients receive quality health care when they are in front of us. It is also important that the inequities and social determinants of care that impact so many communities in New York are addressed.

Our frontline doctors have witnessed the impact in our healthcare system caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and continue to see its impact on the state’s public and safety net facilities, which remain underfunded and understaffed. We need elected leaders to fund our public services and safety net and listen to frontline workers.

Our endorsements reflect our advocacy for our members, those we care for and the communities we serve.”

As New York's primary elections are scheduled to take place June 25, 2024, with early voting beginning on June 15 through June 23, Doctors Council SEIU proudly issues the following endorsements:

State Senate (by District):

10- James Sanders     11-Toby Ann Stavisky     12- Mike Gianaris        13-Jessica Ramos

14- Leroy Comrie      16 - John Liu         18- Julia Salazar        23-Jessica Scarcella-Spanton    

25- Jabari Brisport     26- Andrew Gounardes        28-Liz Krueger      29- Jose Serrano

30- Cordell Cleare      31- Robert Jackson       33-Gustavo Rivera       34- Nathalia Fernandez

35- Andrea Stewart-Cousins       46-Peter Harckham       47-Brad Hoylman-Sigal

59- Kristen Gonzalez

Assembly (by District):

22- Michaelle Solages      25-Nily Rozic       28- Andrew Hevesi      30- Steve Raga

31- Khaleel Anderson    34-Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas     36- Zohran Mamdani     39-Catalina Cruz      

40 - Ron Kim     41-Kalman Yeger      43- Brian Cunningham       44- Robert Carroll  

50- Emily Gallagher     52- Jo Anne Simon     57-Phara Souffrant Forrest     60- Nikki Lucas

61- Charles Fall       66-Deborah Glick     70- Inez Dickens    72-Manny De Los Santos

74- Harvey Epstein     75-Tony Simone      76- Rebecca Seawright     79-Chantel Jackson

80- John Zaccaro      81- Jeffrey Dinowitz       83-Carl Heastie      84- Amanda Septimo

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AboutDoctors Council SEIU

We are a union representing thousands of doctors in employed practice in New York State and other cities and states, including the doctors of New York City Health + Hospitals (H+H). NYC H+H is the largest public hospital system in the nation.

Doctors Council SEIU also represents doctors in the New York City mayoral agencies including the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene(DOHMH), Department of Education (DOE) as well as doctors working at Rikers Island, the largest correctional facility in the nation.

Other agencies include Corrections, Fire, Police,Sanitation, Human Resources Administration, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.  

The work that our members do 24/7 helps the communities andresidents of New York City every day. The services we provide across the five boroughs of New York City are vital, numerous and far reaching, ranging from managing and responding to the Coronavirus pandemic, to seeing patients in hospitals and clinics, to doctors in schools, to visiting patients at home, to providing services for those throughout the tri-state region with World Trade Center issues, to work in the Medical Examiners Office, to work in corrections/fire/ police and sanitation, and so much more.

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