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Public Employee Press
Dental Assistants fight
furloughs Despite the surplus of over $ 4 billion in
city coffers, the Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene has plans to furlough 21
Dental Assistants for the summer, effective June 29. The Dental Assistants, members
of Local 768, will return to their jobs in September but during the summer months
will receive no salary or health insurance coverage. Local 768 President
Darryl Ramsey testified before the City Councils Committee on Health on
May 18 to try and stop the summer furloughs. They claim they are streamlining
services and shutting down unused dental chairs, but there are hundreds of backlogged
appointments that can be scheduled over the summer and there are many complicated
dental procedures that need to be completed, said Ramsey. According to the
local president, the payless time off will save DOHMH a grand total of $81,200.
The DOHMH operates more than 65 Oral Health Clinics in the city; only 11
will remain open during the summer. All of the school-based facilities will
be closed and patients will be redirected to the health clinics. | |