Article Type:
Press Release
“Our records also indicate the recent costs for operation of {these} clinics are substantially less than the costs of salary increases for Grady’s top executives.”
-Emma Darnell, Fulton County Commissioner
Atlanta, Georgia--- Advocates for Responsible Care (ARxC) is calling upon the Board of Commissioners of Fulton and DeKalb Counties, the Fulton/DeKalb Hospital Authority, Georgia elected officials, patient advocates, community leaders and concerned residents to voice their concerns over Grady Health System (GHS) closing of outpatient clinics, reducing programs and services to patients and violating their mission to the residents of Fulton and DeKalb county. ARxC asks all Georgia residents to strongly express their agreement that the Grady Health Systems administration should be accountable to serving the residents of Fulton and DeKalb counties before receiving any financial allotments.
Since 2009, Grady has cut services and communication with the residents of Fulton/DeKalb Counties and defaulted on upholding their mission. GHS Bylaws state: “Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation’s mission is to provide healthcare to indigent individuals and the sick or injured and to promote the general health and welfare of the citizens of the State of Georgia and surrounding areas…”
GHS has made every change in their practice that would cancel their accountability to the county residents and has insisted on moving toward a policy of greater privatization. To date, the GHS Financial Report can be summarized as:
- Grady has substantially increased the salaries of its top executives, putting this burden on
backs of the poor of Fulton and DeKalb counties.
- Grady has announced the closing of 3 Outpatient Clinics cutting services to neighborhood
clinics by 24%.
- Grady has touted financial stability while publicly claiming a deficit of over $80 million.
- Grady has neglected to collect money from other metro counties for the delivery of services to their residents.
- Grady has neglected to seek assistance from the State to support regional programs.
- In addition to providing less care by closing vital clinics, GHS is reducing the Average Length of Stay (ALOS) for inpatients.
- Grady is cutting the number of clinic visits for patients and decreasing emergency room services.
- GHS independently cuts measures that jeopardize the quality of care to patients without county, state or community input.
By critically cutting medical services and programs to the poor, GHS demonstrates a blatant disregard for serving the public while rewarding costly bonuses to their executive administration. Since August 2009, when Grady closed their Outpatient Dialysis Clinic, ARxC has fought for 31 Grady dialysis patients to receive long term dialysis care. We feared that the closing of the Dialysis Clinic was Grady’s first step in deserting the patients. Today we know that Grady intends to further neglect their mission without providing a dialogue of care for the residents of Georgia.
We will let the voice of the residents of Fulton and DeKalb be heard at A CALL TO ACTION.
Join us in protest on
April 6, 2011 11 A.M. at
Otis W. Smith Health Center
2600 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr SW
Atlanta, GA 30311
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