White Plains CitizeNetReporter - Westchester County Outsources Programs and Eliminates Workers-- Care, too?

WPCNR BLACK COFFEE. News & Comment by Nancy King, WPCNR Westchester Roving Correspondent, February 7, 2012: In the last two years, the County of Westchester and the Westchester Medical Center have been quietly shedding jobs and programs in what is believed to be cost-cutting measures and closing budget gaps. Nancy King The County Executive ran in 2009 on a platform that while these cuts would be painful, they were indeed necessary. And so in this period of the Great Recession he did indeed begin to whittle away jobs, services and programs. Most Westchester originally agreed with the County Executive until those who least expected it found themselves in these difficult financial times, needing those very services. Let's take a birdseye look at the County services after 25 Months of Robert Astorino governance:

To save money, inmate health care once provided in conjunction with the Westchester Medical Center and their staff, has been outsourced to a Tennessee based company that specialized in caring for the incarcerated. After much debate between the County and the WMC it was agreed that Ward 29 would no longer receive these inmates. It is believed that they are transported to Mt. Vernon Hospital when they need care. You’ve lost some of the staff that cared for these people and the mileage and Correction Officer overtime used during transport also adds up. So you’ve got to wonder just how those savings are working. During the budget hearings, residents had three separate opportunities to speak out concerning the cuts that were planned for 2012. Suddenly, Westchesterites weren’t too happy about having the number of swimming pools reduced, or their fireworks display threatened. Still others came out to voice their concern about elimination of Bee-Line bus routes, Day Care Subsidies, and mental health services. They also came out to protest the elimination of jobs. Though the number of jobs to be eliminated originally floated between 150 to 300 employees, it was reduced to around 45 jobs. Again the County Executive has told residents and employees of the county that they would have to learn to do more with less. Through some last minute negotiations, the County Board of Legislators was able to restore many of the programs and all but those 45 positions that were still eliminated. Meanwhile up at Grasslands As the county was eliminating programs that care for chronically needy and the new recession needy, Westchester Medical Center , a public benefits corporation, once a safety net hospital for those in need was also quietly closing their budget gap. In just a few short years, CEO Michael Israel and his nearly 3 dozen Vice Presidents have closed down the laundry building and have outsourced them. Patient transport, housekeeping, food service have all been replaced with a private vendor. This past summer, CPAP, the community based crisis team was eliminated. This past summer saw the end of the aids treatment program. This outreach program visited and treated those patients who were housebound. Union officials believe that the program has been taken over by Medical Research Associates in affiliation with New York Medical College (where Israel is a board member). While it seemed medical students would be providing those services, no one was able to confirm whether that was happening. Last month, patients and staff were informed that the Behavioral Health Center would be outsourced to Liberty Healthcare Corporation—a private Philadelphia company that specializes in monitoring mental health patients. Liberty has informed those staff members being replaced they are encouraged to apply for their old jobs even if their new salaries will only be between $12.00 and $15.00 dollars an hour before payroll deductions for health insurance. Who is Liberty Healthcare Corporation? One only has to Google Liberty Health Care Corp to come up with 66 pages of violations against the company where allegations run from sex offenders in treatment having sexual relations with staff to a situation where two patients under Liberty care actually stole a helicopter. So what kind of bargain are we getting here? Both the County Executive and the CEO of the Westchester Medical Center, justify privatization in their respective departments by saying that we need to keep tightening up those belts. Workers are continuing to lose their jobs, cash strapped residents are losing social services and we seem to be stuck going in a circle. The saddest part though is that both of these gentlemen, while cutting jobs, programs and outsourcing programs to private vendors in the name of saving money, continue to hire individuals to work in their executive offices. Both of them maintain that it takes high priced talent to run government and corporations. It is just sad that those who may not possess their definition of talent are left without a net.


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