Single Payer Advocates Rally in Support of Ohio Doctors
Below is an announcement of a rally at St. John’s Hospital in Westlake, OH this Sunday, May 2nd at 1:00 in support of two primary care physicians who are being laid off.
The physicians are falling victim to profit-driven medicine and their patients will suffer as a result. Dr. George Randt and Dr. Patricia Radigan have been working with St. John’s for 20 years and have 2,500 patients. These two doctors have excellent long-term records with the hospital, have received awards and recognition and have never had an unfavorable review. They are being laid off because they are not sufficiently profit driven and therefore were not “volume oriented,” i.e., not seeing enough patients, quickly enough.
These cases are not unusual as profit drives medicine and doctors are required to see more patients, giving each less time. Dr. Margaret Flowers, who will be speaking at the rally said, “this is happening all too often across the country. It is one example of why the United States needs a national health care program funded by a single payer.”
Greetings Single Payer Activists,
Recently, two primary care physicians in Westlake, OH were told by their employer, St. John West Shore Hospital, that they would be laid off effective April 30th because they are not “productive” enough as physicians. A not-for-profit hospital, being driven by for-profit motives, is closing their practices and leaving 2,500 patients without a place to call their medical home.
We are well aware that this is the result of having a system of health care that places profits before the needs of patients. Join us on Sunday, May 2nd, at 1 PM as we rally at the hospital against their “foreclosure” on primary care. The site of the rally is right across the street from the entrance to the hospital and used to be a health promotion center that was founded by one of the primary care physicians in 1984. The hospital closed the center in the 1990′s because it was no longer profitable. The building now sits abandoned. We will be rallying in the parking lot with signs saying “Patients before profit!” and “Save primary care!”. We are currently collecting large empty boxes to set up a make shift homeless camp along the side of the road.
Dr. Margaret Flowers from Physicians for a National Health Plan will be attending to support the action and to share her insights with those in attendance. Invitations have been sent to all of the affected patients as well as several single payer activists and legislators in the area. Please show up to save primary care and show the world why we need a single payer, Medicare for All solution to the for-profit system we currently have in place.
The address is:
29000 Center Ridge Rd
Westlake, OH 44145
Event begins at 1:00 Sunday, May 2nd
Yours in health,
Drew Smith
Coordinator
Mobilize Ohio Movement
www.mobilizeohio.org
