FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact: Alexandra Catsoulis, Alex@justicespeaks.us

NYC Doctors Rally at Mayor Adams's Residence to Address Critical Funding and Staffing Issues

Attending physicians deliver 1000+ signature petition urging Mayor Adams to invest in NYC's crumbling public healthcare system

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PHOTOS HERE

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New York City, NY – Today at 6:30 pm, attending physicians represented by Doctors Council SEIU delivered a petition with a critical message to Mayor Eric Adams at Gracie Mansion: Provide adequate funding for Health and Hospitals (H+H)—the mayoral agency and nation’s largest municipal public health system—and collaborate with H+H management to negotiate a fair contract that addresses the staffing shortages jeopardizing the health and safety of New Yorkers.

The petition, signed by over 1000 trusted health care workers, patients, and NYC residents, emphasized the need for the Adams administration to support NYC public hospitals and healthcare workers to deliver high-level care to all New Yorkers, irrespective of their socioeconomic background

"The New York City Public Health System is dependent upon a physician workforce that is mission-driven and devoted to providing care to the population which we serve,” said Dr. Steven Hahn, Internist at Jacobi Medical and member of Doctors Council SEIU. “We are proud to work in the nation’s largest public hospital system and provide care for all New Yorkers regardless of their status and ability to pay. Some of us have made H+H our home for decades. But the promise of our dedicated doctors is going unfulfilled because of the persistent inability to recruit and retain the physician workforce we need.”

H+H attending physicians are extremely concerned about the ongoing lack of investment in public hospitals, which impacts the quality of care for the city's most vulnerable residents. Through multiple rallies held across three boroughs, doctors have highlighted critical issues such as understaffed emergency rooms on evenings and weekends, prolonged delays in necessary surgeries, department closures, and significant backlogs for routine patient check-ups.

"We have large staffing shortages in every hospital and several of the mayoral agencies. Health and Hospitals relies on Locum Tenens Doctors to cover the big gaps that should be filled by long term dedicated physicians. An increase in patient volume, high turnover, and physician burnout are all compounding this problem. This affects all New Yorkers, not just the frontline doctors of Doctors Council. This crisis has direct negative impacts on our patients -- Mayor Adam’s constituents,” added Dr. Jasmeet Sandhu, Hospitalist at Mt. Sinai Elmhurst Hospital and member of Doctors Council SEIU.

Public health doctors have been working under an expired contract since August 2023, with an extension currently in place until July 31 of this year. An investment in both funding and a fair contract is essential not only to maintain high standards of care but also to ensure equitable access to healthcare across the city.

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