NASW, 1199 join forces to save hospital social work
1000 gather in NYC, hundreds in Albany to protest Pataki's proposals

By Deborah K. Shepherd, CSW, Assistant Director
(June/July 1995)

New York's social workers are fighting mad--and fighting back. A May 17 rally sponsored by the New York City and New York State Chapters of NASW and 1199 National Health and Human Services Employees Union--forming the Emergency Coalition to Save New York Social Work--drew over 1000 social workers to the Sheraton Manhattan Hotel to learn what they could do to counter the unprecedented governmental attacks on the social work profession and the clients it serves. On June 13, busloads of social workers converged on the State capitol for a lobbying effort in the Legislature.

Supported by such political leaders as Congressman Charles Rangel, Comptroller Alan Hevesi, Assemblymembers James Brennan, Francisco Diaz, Richard Gottfried, Rhoda Jacobs, Cathy Nolan, and Brian Murtaugh, State Senator Catherine Abate, City Councilmember C. Virginia Fields and other sympathetic legislators, the Coalition is engaged in what promises to be a lengthy campaign to preserve the profession.

And, based on information received at press time, there has been some response from State government to address at least the immediate concern of the Coalition: Governor George Pataki's proposal to drop the State regulation requiring urban hospitals (defined as those with over 90 beds) to maintain social work departments under the direction of professional social workers.

The Governor's proposal, made in early April, is part of a package of "regulatory reforms" for New York's health care system. Among other proposals in the package are those that would eliminate requirements of hospital staff to meet with patients to explain patients' rights; review all discharge planning and review requirements with the idea of "restructuring" to allow these functions to be "appropriately" carried out; replace Patient Event Tracking System (PETS) with a "minimal set of indicators" to be developed; and repeal the statute requiring that not-for-profit hospitals have community service plans. All of the proposals will have a detrimental effect on the quality of patient care in the hospital and the continuity of care between the hospital and the community.

The Chapter responded immediately to the proposals, with a letter writing campaign; mailings of informational packets to social workers who wanted to take action; and visits and phone calls to legislators, the State's Commissioner of Health, and members of the NYS Hospital Review and Planning Council (HRPC); and testimony before the HRPC's Code Committee. The Chapter has also cooperated with 1199 in the filming of a video about what hospital social workers do. The video will be sent to legislators and members of the Executive branch.

In appearing before the Code Committee, NYC Chapter President Barbara Brenner noted that the Governor's proposal "...would unravel a provision designed to ensure that vulnerable patients are protected from some of the harsh realities of contemporary health care."

At the May 17 rally, which drew members of a number of New York City unions and social work organizations, 1199 President Dennis Rivera noted that the campaign was "...the beginning of a long-term campaign to reverse the trend in Washington, Albany and City Hall."

Congressman Rangel, who flew up from Washington specifically for the rally, warned the group that all but the wealthiest Americans would be hard hit by the Republicans' Contract With America: "The middle class is being told to blame its difficulties on the poor, while their own entitlements are being take away to give tax breaks to the rich, he said. He was enthusiastic in his support for social workers' efforts to save the people they serve.

"You will one day be proud that you were among the first to say 'Not in my country you don't'," he said.

Comptroller Hevesi, noting that the Governor's proposals have been put forth as a means of cutting costs, said that he didn't believe that "...this is being done thoughtfully, even given their [the Republicans] ideology." Instead, he noted, the proposals disregard the impact of the cuts on the health care system and will end up costing money instead of saving funds.

Elise Rackmill, a social worker at St. Luke's hospital, exhorted her colleagues "...to become more assertive....We have to educate ourselves about the changes in the health care system and in our society. We have to stop thinking about ourselves as a profession that will always be needed and therefore will always be around. We consider ourselves indispensable and we are, but many of those in power disagree. We have the skills to advocate for our patients. We must now use those skills to advocate for our profession."

On June 13, several hundred social workers from across the State lobbied nearly 30 State Assemblymembers and Senators (Democrats and Republicans) to get the point across that "...converting not-for-profit, regulated health care to a market-driven, investor-owned system where 'the bottom line' is everything," (to quote Dennis Rivera), will have disasterous consequences for the people of New York.

State Senator Catherine Abate, in a letter to a Chapter member who had visited her in her Albany office, added her support to the efforts: "Social workers, though not medical care providers, are critical to the success of our health care delivery system. The Governor's proposal to eliminate regulations which ensure that hospital patients have access to social workers will compromise the fragile framework of health care in our community."

Senator Abate also expressed these views in a letter to the Governor. Other legislators visited have promised to communicate with the Governor as well.

Chapter members are urged to remain vigilant and to take action against proposals that threaten the well-being of New York's most vulnerable people--and the profession that serves them..

The Campaign to Save New York Social Work is in full swing; there is much work to be done. While the Governor will have the final say on the matter of the deregulation of hospital social work departments, he will entertain the ideas of his Health Commissioner, the HRPC, and key legislators. See the next page for what you can do to help us fight the good fight.