New York State's current process for overseeing and approving hospital closures is...

• woefully inadequate when it comes to active local community engagement.
• does not require a "Health Equity Impact Assessment" as part of the process.
• happens behind closed doors between the State Dept. of Health and Governor's office.
• does not require consideration by the State's Public Health and Health Planning Council at a public meeting.
• does not put the State Dept. of Health out front in a proactive leadership way, but rather leaves that role to the hospital or hospital network itself, a clear conflict of interest.

Good news! The Local Input for Community Healthcare Act (LICH bill, S.1226/A.6004; Rivera, Simon) fixes all that!

...and it has passed the State Legislature earlier this year by wide bipartisan margins, and now sits on Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk awaiting her signature. Last year, she bowed to pressure from the hospital industry (which opposes the bill, despite being part of the final negotiations over the bill language that they approved) and vetoed the bill.

However, Gov. Hochul can and should make a different choice this year! ...but only if there's broad public pressure for her to do so!

YOU can help create that pressure by sending this e-letter to her that calls on her to sign the bill!

An added wrinkle for this year: The HUGE Medicaid spending cuts enacted by Congress and the Trump administration earlier this year puts MANY hospitals across New York, and many will be forced to scale back services and even close. This new situation makes it even more important that Gov. Hochul sign the LICH bill so that local communities "have a say" in what happens to their local hospital, and state health officials will play an active and public leadership role in the process.

Thanks for signing and sending this letter to Gov. Hochul so that she knows what everyday New Yorkers think and our local communities need!