Occupy Town Square III / New York’s Hospital Crisis: Health Care for the 1% or the 99%

Join us this Sunday Feb 26th at Occupy Town Square III in Tompkins Square Park for another gathering of Occupy Wall St. We will be contributing to the day’s events in a number of ways. We’ll be tabling, inaugurating our healthcare flipboard action, and continuing our healthcare stories photo petition project.  In addition, at 2pm we will host a teach-in on New York’s Hospital Crisis: Health Care for the 1% or the 99%. Hope to see you there.

AHIP Lobbyist Wins Surprise Award

Last week members of OccupyHarvard and the OccupyBoston Health Justice Working Group threw Karen Ignagni a surprise gala at Harvard Business School, celebrating her accomplishments in advancing corporate interests over the health of the public. Karen Ignagni of AHIP (the chief lobbyist for private health insurance) was given an award for “Excellence in the Business of Denying People Medical Care”!

 

We Need Hospitals, Not Condos

Healthcare for the 99% and The Coalition For a New Village Hospital

Thursday, February 9, 10:00 am

Across the Street from 250 Broadway, Near City Hall Park 

Luxury Condos for the 1% or a Hospital for the 99%? The entire west side of Manhattan below 57th Street now faces a public health and safety emergency. There are now no hospital beds and none planned in the future. Join Occupy Wall Street health care activists and Village residents and their supporters to deliver over 20,000 petition signatures and send a message to the City Council: Stop elitist real estate development and begin working to meet the needs of our community. 

Why is Occupy taking action on the St. Vincent’s issue?  Mayor Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Quinn, and key state legislators sat silently by while this hospital closed two years ago.  They now silently approve of the real estate development plans of their 1% friends who are building luxury condos in former hospital buildings. However, This isn’t just a story of one hospital, what happened to St. Vincent’s, but about systematic hospital closures throughout the city.    

Thursday, please come out and show your support for our right to accessible medical services in our communities across our city.  Bring signs, and let your voice be heard.