BUFFALO, N.Y. — Western New York health care workers, unions and providers joined thousands across the state Wednesday to rally against Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposed budget.
Oishei Children's Hospital is what's referred to as a "safety net" hospital, which provides care for a large part of the community and relies heavily on Medicaid funding as their source of revenue.
Costs to care for patients are rising, but the Medicaid reimbursement levels are not, leaving the hospital to supplement that cost.
"Now we must call on Gov. Kathy Hochul a hometown native to provide adequate funding for our safety net facilities like OCH so we can continue to save lives, and provide the best care possible to our patients, our families and our community," Janine Gonzalez, RN, said.
"We must do better and I think collectively as a community we must continue to let our voices be heard and we must continue to fight this fight because it is the utmost important for not only our future but for the children and women that we care for daily." Cheryl Marino, 1199 SEIU administrative organizer, said.
Gov. Hochul's budget includes cutting millions of dollars from safety net hospitals like Oishei Children's Hospital.