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Legislators introduce bill to save St. Joseph
Efforts to keep St. Joseph Hospital open received a boost last week when four local legislators jointly announced their plan to introduce bills in the Assembly and Senate to prevent the facility from closing.
A bipartisan team consisting of Assemblymen Dennis H. Gabryszak (D-Cheektowaga) and Mike Cole (R-Alden) plus Senators William T. Stachowski (D-Buffalo) and Dale M. Volker (R-Depew) discussed their plan May 17 in the Harlem Road hospital's emergency department.
The hospital was recommended for closure in November 2006 by the New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, commonly referred to as the "Berger Commission." The commission's recommendations have the backing of Governor Eliot Spitzer.
However, the legislators say that the commission's recommendation was arbitrary and based on "seriously flawed" information concerning the region.
All four legislators signed a letter addressed to Spitzer that urges him to reconsider the recommendation and outlines facts supporting their stance.
"The Berger Commission's farreaching recommendation to close a financially solvent, profitable and important medical facility ... will not meet the goal of achieving an integrated health care system for our region," the letter states.
Each legislator extolled the hospital's services, with Gabryszak offering personal insight to the facility's importance.
Gabryszak said that his father wouldn't be alive today if not for the life-saving treatment he received at the Harlem Road hospital.
"St. Joseph Hospital is very near and dear to me," said Gabryszak. "I will do everything I can to keep it open."
The hospital's suburban location and proximity to heavily-populated areas was also noted.
"I don't know where people will go," Stachowski said. "There are not a lot of hospitals east of Buffalo."
Cole, whose district sits east of Cheektowaga agreed, noting that people residing in his district routinely use St. Jospeh Hospital.
Volker said that when Governor George E. Pataki and the legislature created the commission, the idea was to "give us direction" on how to fix a broken Medicaid system, with a goal of reducing the number of hospital beds in the state.
According to the local representatives, closing hospitals isn't the answer.
"We're not going to let the government shut down a hospital based on a recommendation of some committee," Volker said. "There's uproar all over the state with this."
Meanwhile, a grassroots campaign to keep the hospital open has garnered more than 50,000 signatures on petitions distributed throughout the area and on the Internet.
In addition, a recent letter writing campaign during the months of April and May generated 1,653 letters as of May 17. The letters- urging that St. Joseph remain open- were sent to Governor Eliot Spitzer and members of the legislature's health committee.
The letter campaign was launched through local parishes and the Cheektowaga Senior Center.
St. Joseph Hospital President and CEO James Millard said that despite the uncertain future, the hospital continues to receive strong community support. The hospital's recent Treasure Hunt auction attracted donations similar to recent years, while the upcoming golf tournament is generating "great response," Millard said.
"It certainly sends a message," Millard said. "The community still feels strongly enough about its hospital to attend fund-raisers, with no drop-off" in donations.
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