Facing unprecedented Federal healthcare cuts, 1199SEIU rolls out a plan to the state’s hospitals, nursing homes, home care, & vital medical services

 

Thousands of healthcare workers from every corner of the Empire State–from Long Island to Buffalo–descended on Albany earlier today to protect New York’s healthcare system. The dedicated caregivers, all members of 1199SEIU, streamed off buses into the Albany Capital Center where they declared a “Code Red” for healthcare services due to Trump’s’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBA”).

 

Without action by New York State, OBBA will lead to hospital shutdowns, major job losses, and a reduction in the quality of care that communities around the state depend on. Rural and safety-net institutions will be hit especially hard as the cost of uncompensated care skyrockets. With limited staff and resources, nursing homes, homecare, and community-based services will likewise face closures, harming the most vulnerable New Yorkers.

 

Healthcare professionals, who have renamed OBBA the “Big Ugly Bill,” say there is a common sense solution to protect their patients from the devastating impacts of Trump’s law: use the state’s robust tax receipts and high reserves to allocate $2 billion to replace federal funding losses which would stabilize the healthcare system and shield New Yorkers from the worst consequences of the federal cuts.

 

“We are not asking for anything extravagant. We are demanding only what is needed for us to continue delivering care to New Yorkers and prevent what will otherwise mean the shutting of healthcare services and facilities up and down the state,” said 1199SEIU President Yvonne Armstrong. “New York State has the resources to weather this storm. New York has billions of dollars in reserves kept specifically for times of crisis. And there is no crisis more urgent than the one threatening our patients, our institutions, and millions of New Yorkers.”

 

Top state elected leaders including State Senate President Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Speaker of the House Carl Heastie, Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs, Senate Health Committee Chair Gustavo Rivera, and Assembly Health Committee Chair Amy Paulin joined the healthcare worker’s rally. 

 

"I stand firm with 1199SEIU in declaring a Healthcare Code Red. While Washington Republicans recklessly dismantle healthcare policies, stripping coverage from millions and siphoning off $13.5 billion a year from New York’s healthcare system, our state faces an unprecedented budget crisis. The Senate Majority is committed to standing with frontline healthcare workers and patients, as we cannot afford the fallout of Washington’s negligence. Healthcare is a fundamental right, not a political bargaining chip,” said New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

 

“Healthcare is not abstract. It is personal, and when the system is strained, my constituents feel it. Budgets are moral documents, and right now the devastating federal cuts put patients and frontline workers at risk. I stand with 1199SEIU and their Code Red for Healthcare campaign. We will oppose these cuts and demand action to protect access to care and the workers who provide it,” said Buffalo Mayor Dr. Dorcey L. Applyrs

"My son has sickle cell and has suffered strokes. Because of Medicaid he's able to be independent, have his medications and treatments, see his doctors, and live on his own. If these cuts go through, he would lose his independence that he values and the healthcare that he needs–we wouldn’t know what to do,” said Amanta Adonis, a licensed practical nurse (LPN) at a Queens nursing home, who left her home before sunrise to get to Albany. “For the politicians who voted for this Big Ugly Bill–shame on you! You’re putting people’s lives in danger. For the elected officials in Albany, we’re calling on you to use state funding to help with these cuts. We’re not asking for a free handout, we’re asking for a chance to stay alive."

“We need our leaders to use every tool they have to offset federal cuts, to keep our hospitals and nursing homes open. To save mental health in our communities, and save home care,” said Stephanie June, who is a patient care technician at a Poughkeepsie hospital. “ This is about protecting our families. It's about keeping healthcare workers on the job, and most importantly it’s about saving lives.”

“It’s cruel to punish people for things they can’t control. You can be healthy one moment and need critical care the next, there’s no safety net to fall back on. What will you do?” asked Maurice Myrick, a dental assistant at a clinic in Rochester where he has provided care to help patients improve their quality of life for 20 years.

 

“Nothing comes easily in this world, and I always taught my children, and now my grandchildren that sacrifice is an important part of life. But what is going on now with the drastic cuts to Medicaid is just not right,” said Delone Cuebas, a home health worker from the Bronx. “I have a cousin who has stage four cancer and relies on Medicaid for their treatment. They recently heard that the clinic they have been going to could close because of the cuts.”

The healthcare workers, decked out in “Code Red” gear, later marched around the State Capitol with brightly colored signs and chanting. The caregivers, who normally spend their days working in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, research labs, homecare, and other healthcare settings, then headed into the capitol to share their plan to save New York’s healthcare system with more legislators.