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Public Health Care Under the Knife
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is in the process of selling off in-patient and outpatient dialysis services to Atlantic Dialysis Management Services (a private, for-profit company) to operate at nine HHC facilities.

Patients Will Suffer.
Privately run dialysis centers cut corners by hiring workers with less training and administering shorter treatment times. This results in a lesser quality of care for patients, which unnecessarily puts the lives of our loved ones at risk.

Working People Will Suffer.
Atlantic Dialysis Management Services will likely hire non-union workers at lower salaries and with fewer benefits, replacing the unionized professionals that are currently employed.

This Contract Is Clearly Not in the Best Interest of HHC Patients or New York City.
HHC claims that it will save $178.5 million. Yet it has not taken the time to assess the impact on patient care of the dialysis services it recently contracted out at Bellevue Hospital. Furthermore, an examination of the facilities currently managed by Atlantic Dialysis Management Services shows poor performance and subpar reviews at numerous locations. New Yorkers deserve better.

There Is a Better Way.
HHC can work with the affected unions to come up with alternatives to contracting out the dialysis services at the affected nine HHC hospitals and continue to provide the care using dedicated public employees with public dollars.

Join us in speaking out against the privatization of dialysis services.
HHC and Atlantic Dialysis Management Services are preparing to get State approval for the contract via a Certificate of Need. Please call on the State Office of Health Systems Management and tell them not to award Atlantic Dialysis Management Services a Certificate of Need. Let your Congress people know you are concerned about the quality of patient services at public hospitals. Your phone calls will halt the process and encourage the State to thoroughly review the proposal.

Call the State Office of Health Systems Management at: 518-474-7028
Call your Congress member toll-free at: 1-877-762-8762

Your messages are needed to keep HHC surviving and thriving for years to come.

• Alert: Speak out at an HHC meeting (PDF*)
• Gotham Gazette: Why we need a public health mayor
• Send a letter of concern to HHC regarding dialysis privatization (PDF*)
• Call elected officials expressing concern about HHC dialysis privatization (PDF*)
• Effort to block further dialysis privatization hits fever pitch
• HHC dialysis policy: Contracting OUT patients' lives
• Privatizing HHC dialysis services puts profits over patient care (PDF*)
• Equity & Accountability in Public Health Care (PDF*)
• Petition: Stop dialysis outsourcing at HHC (PDF*)
• Privatizing and cuts threaten patient care in public hospitals
• Private deals versus patient care at HHC
• Union and HHC fight federal Medicaid cuts
• Video: DC 37 and Allies Speak Out at Medicaid Redesign Public Hearing. See Video
• HHC Uncompensated Care (PDF*)
• Members rally against health-care cuts
• HHC staff battles killer cuts

Get Involved

HEAT activists from DC 37 and other public hospital unions are part of the grassroots fight for better health care in our communities. To learn more and get involved, click on the links below.

• Get Involved: HEAT Brochure and Sign-up (PDF*)
• AFSCME Info on National Health Care Reform

*Download Acrobat Reader to view and print PDF files.