MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact: Khanh Weinberg 408-921-0098
FOR MONDAY, APRIL 1 @ 11:00AM
Salinas, CA – Local elected and health care leaders will hold a news conference Monday to draw urgent attention to a looming threat to the local health care system. Even as California is poised to greatly reduce the numbers of uninsured through the federal Affordable Care Act and a companion state plan to expand Medi-Cal to cover more Californians, a related budget proposal threatens to strip funding Monterey County needs to cover those who will remain uninsured.
“California should strengthen and rebuild our critical public and private safety net,” says Monterey County Supervisor Simon Salinas. “We should ensure that we keep the necessary funding in the Counties to support coverage for the residually uninsured and the millions of Californians who will continue to rely on safety net services.”
After health care reform is adopted, three to four million Californians will still be uninsured and will depend on county safety nets made up of public hospitals like Natividad Medical Center, county health centers and community clinics. If county healthcare funding is stripped, those institutions may be in jeopardy, affecting the accessibility and affordability of healthcare throughout the region.
Leaders of Natividad Medical Center, the Service Employees International Union Local 521 that represents NMC workers, and families who count on the healthcare safety net for care their families will call on Sacramento to ensure the Affordable Care Act delivers on its promise of delivering quality healthcare for all.
WHO: Simon Salinas, Monterey County Supervisor
Fernando Armenta, Monterey County Supervisor
Ben Franklin Jr., SEIU 521 Monterey County Chapter President
Mario Torres, SEIU ULTCW
WHEN: Monday, April 1, 2013, 11 a.m.
WHERE: Natividad Medical Center
Outpatient Services Building 200, Front Entrance
1441 Constitution Blvd
Salinas, CA
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The Service Employees International Union is an organization of 2.1 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. SEIU is dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. For more information, visit www.seiu521.org
