The Healthcare Education Project hosted a Healthcare Breakfast emceed by TT Torrez of Hot 97 at SOMOS Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 7, 2024.
Reverend Terry Calhoun, Lemuel Haynes Congregational Church, led the opening prayer. Then Kenneth E. Raske, President, Greater New York Hospital Association and George Gresham, President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.
Speaker Wayne Spence, NYS Public Employees Federation, called on elected officials to ensure adequate funding was provided to reduce health disparities in Black and Brown communities.
“We are in a fight for something that should be a basic right,” he said.
Speakers Bishop Waylyn Hobbs Jr., Coney Island Cathedral, and Assemblymember Karina Reyes reminded attendees not to grow discouraged during the fight for Medicaid equity.
Dr. Gustavo del Toro, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Redetha Abrahams-Nichols, President, United University Professions Downstate Chapter, Elizabeth Wynn, Executive Vice President, Finance, Economic Survey, and Outcome Research, Greater New York Hospital Association, and Christina Otero, Entitlement Coordinator, Acacia Network, lent their expertise in a panel discussion.
Moderated by Victor Pichardo Jr., Vice President of Government and Community Affairs, SBH Health, the panel discussion explored how funding discrepancies affect healthcare holistically, impacting staffing and training, leading to reduced or cut hospital resources and increased mortality rates. The healthcare future panelist envisioned echoed sentiments of all speakers, brunch attendees and community partners: Medicaid equity is needed now.
“This Medicaid equity fight is really about the fact that Medicaid case hospitals on average [receive] 30% less than the cost of delivering care to Medicaid beneficiaries. [This] means that we have 60% of hospitals in New York losing money. So, we’re really challenged and really stressed to provide high-quality patient care,” said Elizabeth Wynn.
“The lack of funding affects the [nursing] rotation greatly,” said Redetha Abrahams-Nichols. Also, people applying for residency is also changing, because we just don’t have the facility to keep that many students there.” Abrahams-Nichols explained that funding impacts the ability to train workers. “We won’t be able to produce the next generation of the healthcare unit,” she said.
Watch the full panel video below.