Public Employee Press

BIG VICTORY
HHC cancels dialysis outsourcing plan

BY DIANE S. WILLIAMS

Patients and unions won a major health care victory when the state Health Dept. board announced May 21 that it withdrew a for-profit company's application to take over four chronic dialysis clinics in public hospitals.

The decision caps a two-year campaign against Big Apple Dialysis by DC 37, the New York State Nurses Association, the Doctors Council and a coalition of health- care advocates and patients. Coalition members cited the company's poor performance record and opposed privatizing chronic dialysis care.

Big Apple's contract to operate clinics has been cancelled at Kings County, Harlem, Lincoln, and Metropolitan hospitals.

"This is a resounding triumph," said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. "Our members provide the best care and maintain significantly higher quality standards than what was being offered by this for-profit company. We drew the line against outsourcing dialysis to Big Apple and let the facts win out. Our campaign was always about patients' lives and the quality of care they receive."

The unions urged the Health and Hospitals Corp. to put patients before profits, and gained support from Mayor Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate Letitia James, City Council members, including Health Committee Chair Corey Johnson, and others.

HHC will continue to operate its clinics with unionized Registered Nurses, Biomed Techs, Social Workers, and other civil service health care workers.

DC 37's Field Services Director Barbara Edmonds said, "The testimonies of Local 768 Social Worker Nate Franco, Local 420 member Clive Davis and President Carmen Charles at various state and city hearings were critical to this victory."

Records show HHC-run chronic dialysis clinics consistently maintain high performance ratings, but one in four patients dies in Big Apple's care.

A transfer of HHC dialysis patients to Big Apple's care would have posed a serious threat to patients' safety, experts said.

Following the announcement, Hospitals chief executive officer Dr. Ram Raju promised to "explore all options to improve access to dialysis care for New Yorkers, including expanding capacity within our system. Our goal has always been to ensure all our patients continue to receive the high quality dialysis services they need."