|
New York - In an effort to share firsthand how inner-city institutions are coping with today's health care challenges, Congressman Charles B. Rangel and U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Michael O. Leavitt met with local physicians and elected officials at North General Hospital on July 16.
Congressman Charles Rangel and HHS Secretary Levitt listen to North General Hospital
President & CEO Dr. Samuel J. Daniel, MD, President and Dr. Steven Gottesfeld.
The in-depth discussion, which also included North General President and CEO Samuel J. Daniel, Mount Sinai Hospital President Burton Drayer, NYS Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson, New York State Assembly Member Keith Wright, and City Council members Inez Dickens, Robert Jackson and Melissa Mark Viverito, shed light on the successes North General has had in confronting medical disparities in the area, as well as the challenges that still exist in building a healthier Harlem community.
The visit also included a personal tour of North General, highlighting the role that the hospital has in serving a community where a vast number of residents, many of them uninsured, use the Emergency Department (ED) as their primary health provider.
"Hospitals like North General are on the frontlines of some of this nation's most critical health battles, from cancer to heart disease to obesity," said Congressman Rangel. "The federal government must play a role in helping these institutions provide the best care to every American, regardless of where they live or what they can afford. That means making sure people find a personal doctor for primary and preventive care, not just emergency care. "
From Left to right ( front): City Council member Robert Jackson, Dr. Johnny Lee, COO & Co-Director of NGH Cardiac Cath. Lab, Dr. Samuel J. Daniel, MD, President CEO North General Hospital, Burton Drayer, MD, President, Mount Sinai Hospital, Secretary Michael Leavitt, US Dept of Health, Congressman Charles Rangel, 15th NY Congressional District, Inez Dickens City Council member, Dr Valentine Burroughs, Chief Medical Officer, Chair of Medicine, North General Hospital, Melissa Mark Viverito, City Council member, Livingston Francis, Board of Trustees, NGH Back (left to right) Dr. Steven Gottesfeld, Associate Vice-Chair of ED, Eugene Giscombe, Board of Trustees, NGH
###
|
|
