Email these legislators today:
HealthHearing@assembly.state.ny.us
lkrueger@senate.state.ny.us
Hannon@senate.state.ny.us
friedms@assembly.state.ny.us

Cabrini Medical Center on East 19th Street in New York City is one of five hospitals that has been has been targeted to close by the recent Berger Commission. The Berger Commission was established in 2005 by Governor George Pataki and the State Legislature to review New York State’s healthcare industry and make recommendations for restructuring it.

In a press release from Cabrini Medical Center dated November 28th, the Cabrini Medical Center “rejected the non-binding recommendation of …the Berger Commission to close the hospital and vowed to strenuously fight any and all efforts to implement it.”

Please join with the Missionary Sisters and the Cabrini Medical Center community in their resolve to appeal this recommendation by contacting the groups and individuals listed above. You may compose your own email message or cut and paste the sample message below. The volume of responses seems to matter more than the actual content of the message.

Sample message:

The recently published results of the Berger Commission have left me baffled regarding the recommendation to close Cabrini Medical Center in Gramercy Park, New York City. I do not agree with it at all.

Cabrini Medical Center has put a reorganization plan in effect which addresses the needs of the local community, especially elders, those coming to end of life, HIV/AIDS patients and other vulnerable persons. In addition, Cabrini Medical Center already eliminated 75% of their inpatient medical/surgical beds.

The location of Cabrini Medical Center makes it ideal for referrals by larger acute care facilities. It is a place where post acute and chronic care can be delivered at a lower cost.

Its refocus on frail elders in the community who cannot afford the high cost of nearby academic medical centers provides visiting physicians and geriatric medicine programs that reach more and more homebound people and links them to primary care services.

I hope you can hear this response and many others like it that will be coming your way in favor of keeping Cabrini Medical Center open on E.19th Street.

Do not let over 114 years of dedicated and compassionate service to the community come to an end.

Thank you for your time and interest.

“We will not abandon our patients, our staff or Mother Cabrini’s commitment of 114 years ago, when she and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus founded this hospital,”said Ronald Gade, M.D. Cabrini Medical Center’s President and CEO, following the release of the Berger Commissions recommendations.

We ask you to join in this email campaign and to please keep the Cabrini Medical Center community in your prayers as we continue to seek God’s will for the Cabrini Medical Center at this time.

Additional ways to help Cabrini Medical Center:

A candlelight vigil will take place in front of Cabrini Medical Center at 227 E. 19th Street in the Gramercy Park section of Manhattan on Thursday, December 7th at 5 p.m. Attendees are requested to wear the color violet in honor of Mother Cabrini.

A rally took place in front of Cabrini Medical Center on Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 10 a.m. in support of the Medical Center. Read more...

For further information on how to get involved visit the Cabrini Medical Center website:
http://www.cabrininy.org
http://www.cabrininy.org/pdf/BergerResponse.pdf