FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org
Amber Smigiel
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
amber.smigiel@mnnurses.org
(St. Paul) – January 22, 2020 – A coalition called “No Cuts on Quality Care” of nurses, doctors, faith leaders, and patient groups are inviting Fairview Health CEO James Hereford to a community forum to discuss cuts to Bethesda and St. Joseph’s hospitals. Advocates plan to deliver the invitation to Hereford at a forum on the future of healthcare Thursday morning at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown St. Paul.
“The coalition wants to ensure you have a chance to hear from real community members and patients about the impact that cuts and closures will have on us all,” the invitation reads. The forum will be held on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, 6:00–8:00 p.m., at Christ on Capitol Hill, 105 University Avenue West, in St. Paul.
Coalition members, including a group of deaf patients, plan to attend the forum to give the invitation to Hereford. They are very concerned about the plan to cut the MN Chemical Dependency Program for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Individuals, one of the only specialized residential treatment programs in the nation that meets the needs of Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind individuals.
Hereford will be attending the healthcare forum along with the CEOs of Children’s Hospitals, Allina-Aetna, and Mayo Clinic Health Systems.
The letter is signed by the Minnesota Nurses Association, Service Employees International Union, and ISAIAH groups, which have joined together to create the No Cuts on Quality Care coalition.
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Note: The letter in its entirety is below.
January 23, 2020
Mr. James Hereford
President & CEO
Fairview Health Services
Corporate Building
2450 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Dear Mr. Hereford,
The No Cuts on Quality Care coalition of concerned community members, organization leaders, nurses, doctors and patients is inviting you to join us at a community forum next week to discuss the potential cuts and closures at Bethesda and St. Joseph’s hospitals. The forum will be held on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., at Christ on Capitol Hill, 105 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55103.
The coalition wants to ensure you have a chance to hear from real community members and patients about the impact that cuts and closures will have on us all. Of special concern is the plan to cut the MN Chemical Dependency Program for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Individuals, one of the only specialized residential treatment programs in the nation that meets the needs of Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind individuals.
We hope you accept this opportunity to share our stories with you. To accept this invitation, please contact Karlton Scott at (651) 202-6206 or karlton.scott@mnnurses.org.
Sincerely,
No Cuts on Quality Care Coalition
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