2008: A Time for Change
March 2008 President's Report
by Luella Toni Lewis, MD
I would like to introduce myself to you: I am a Geriatrics Fellow at Caritas Health Care in Jamaica, New York, and I am honored to be CIR’s new President. Since medical school, I sought programs and experiences that would help me as a physician to serve the community on all levels. Little did I know how involvement with CIR would prepare me for this role.
There have been many events during my residency that required a voice of concern, beginning with the bankruptcy of my hospital and uncertain future of our residency programs. Next, the Governor of our state was looking for healthcare cuts and hospital closures. CIR provided a platform for responding.
With CIR, I have testified at state hearings on behalf of residents and patients in need. Many CIR members played an active role in that campaign, and all that testifying, petition signing and rallying had its impact. The Governor’s commission recognized the vital role that our safety net hospitals played.
Activism is in my blood. For as long as I can remember, my family supported unions and speaking up for those unable to speak for themselves. My mother was active in her chapter of the National Education Association, and my grandmother picketed in the bitter cold of a Wisconsin winter to fight for the rights of educators and students. I welcome the challenges we will surely face.
I want to share some thoughts about the year ahead: 2008 is an election year, by its very nature, a year of change, with opportunities for healthcare reform that come along only once or twice in a generation.
I’m really excited about the work we’re doing — we want to be a part of the national discussion about how to reform healthcare. Who knows better than resident physicians, from frontline experience, what the problems are in our current healthcare system? Who better to discuss the best solutions to prevent leaving so many people out in the cold, and providing less-than-adequate care for so many others? CIR, that’s who!
On a national level, the President’s most recent regulatory cuts and budget proposals take aim at Medicare physician reimbursements. Medicaid spending cuts threaten our ability to care for our patients, as well as the very funding of our residency programs.
CIR has lobbied Congress on these issues with the National Association of Public Hospitals and our work will continue on the state level. Together with SEIU Healthcare, (the one-million member union we are affiliated with) and other allies, we are committed to increasing access and ending the disparities of care we see every day.
Another issue which affects all residents is the extremely long hours we work. I recently had the opportunity to testify before the Institute of Medicine and to share our stories and the increasing body of evidence that draws the clear link between increased medical errors and 24+ hour shifts. I do not have to tell you that these hours do not correlate to optimal patient care. You have witnessed that yourself first-hand. You also know about the increased risk of post-call car crashes, needlestick injuries, and depression that go along with our extremely long work hours.
Most of the public is unaware of the hours we work. It is our job—mine and yours—to change that.
We will have many opportunities to make our issues known and I look forward to working with you in the months ahead. Let’s make the most of this dynamic time we are entering to make real improvements for our patients, our training, and our healthcare system. Feel free to contact me with your thoughts and ideas at llewis@cirseiu.org.