Brooks Hospital Workers, Patients, and Local Leaders Call On New York State Department of Health To Release Funds To Build New Brooks Hospital!
October 5, 2023
**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5 AT 11:30 AM**
Contact:
April Ezzell, april.ezzell@1199.org, (716) 449-1620
Diana Moreno, diana.moreno@nysna.org, (917) 327-2302
VISUAL OPPORTUNITY Healthcare workers, hospital leaders, elected officials, community groups, and concerned citizens convene in front of Brooks Memorial Hospital.
Funding to build new modern micro-hospital in Northern Chautauqua County held up by New York State Department of Health more than 6 years while hospital workers continue to provide care at aging and outdated facility
Dunkirk, NY: Brooks Memorial Hospital workers, hospital leaders, elected officials gather to express their concern over the years-long delay to build the new modern Brooks Memorial Hospital.
WHO:
• Brooks hospital workers represented by NYSNA and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East along with hospital leaders, community members and other labor organizations
• Elected officials including Assemblymember Andy Goodell, Chautauqua County Legislator Susan Parker, Mayor Doug Essek of Fredonia and Mayor Willie Rosas of Dunkirk
WHAT:
Hospital workers hold community event in front of aging Brooks Memorial Hospital in Dunkirk.
WHERE:
Brooks Memorial Hospital, 529 Central Ave, Dunkirk, NY 14048
WHEN:
Thursday, October 5, 2023 from 11:30AM-12:30PM
*Press Conference at 12 NOON
WHY:
Brooks Memorial Hospital is the only healthcare facility available in Northern Chautauqua County. The dedicated healthcare workers at Brooks continue to provide care in an aging and outdated facility in Dunkirk. The community has been waiting for 6+ years for New York State Department of Health to release funds to construct a new modernized hospital.
The plans to build the new facility would cost approximately $71 million dollars. Brooks-TLC was awarded a $57 million grant from Essential Healthcare Provider Support Program (EHCPSP) to build a new modern hospital and to convert TLC Lakeshore to an Ambulatory Destination Center specializing in chemical dependency. In addition, the 2017 New York state budget also included a $17 million dollar Healthcare Facility Transformation grant to help build a modern hospital.
While the proposal to build the new hospital remains stagnant since 2017, caregivers are urging state officials to release funding and break ground on the new modern facility in rural Northern Chautauqua county.
###
The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. We represent over 450,000 nurses and caregivers throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.
www.1199seiu.org