News

SEIU Launches the Healthcare Equality Project

On March 24, 2009, CIR leaders joined labor groups, community organizations, health advocates, civil rights groups, social justice advocates, and faith networks at an event in Washington, D.C. to launch the Health Care Equality Project. The Project is a national partnership between nationwide and community-based organizations, faith networks, students, parents and individuals working to achieve comprehensive health care reform that will eliminate  healthcare disparities once and for all.

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What’s in the Stimulus Bill for Doctors and Patients?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (also known as “the stimulus bill”) received a lot of press attention before it was signed into law on February 17, 2009. But many of the provisions that will have the biggest impact on resident physicians and their patients received scant mention.

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Standing Up for Safety Net Hospitals

With state and local budget crises forcing cuts in health care at a time when the need is greatest because of the economy, CIR residents across the country have been fighting back by raising their voices on behalf of low-income patients and the safety-net hospitals they depend on.

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SCHIP Expansion Signed Into Law

Congress in February passed a bill reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP), which covers 7 million children nationwide, and expanding the program to extend coverage to an additional 4 million children. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on February 4, calling it “the first step” on his campaign pledge to bring about universal health

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CIR Doctors Prep Med Students for Residency

Think back to the years before you graduated medical school. Did you anticipate the long hours and working conditions of residency? Did you worry that your interests in advocacy and health care reform would be pushed aside by the demands of training? Did you even know that a union for housestaff existed?

Realizing that medical students and residents share a lot of interests, CIR has dedicated a fulltime staff person to working with medical students for the past three years and is increasingly engaging in joint efforts and campaigns with medical student groups. This year, CIR has made a big impression with medical school students across the country.

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CIR Alumni Put Their Idealism to Work

Drs.Anje van Berckelaer and Ira Nemeth were activists during their residency – she as CIR co-president at Harbor-UCLA, and he as a CIR regional vice president from New York. So it was no surprise that their engagement with the world would continue when residency was done. For Dr. van Berckelaer, that meant a volunteer stint with Doctors without Borders in Niger and in the Central African Republic (CAR). For Dr.Nemeth, it was beginning a fellowship in Disaster Management in Dallas just two months before Hurricane Katrina hit. He is now Dallas County’s Public Health Preparedness Medical Director. They shared their experiences with CIR News recently.

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NJ Regional Vice President Visits with Rep. Donald Payne and Sen. Frank Lautenberg

New Jersey Regional Vice President Dr. Snehal Bhatt presented giant holiday cards calling for “hope and change in 2009” to Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Donald Payne in December. The cards were a friendly reminder to make health care reform a priority as the legislators ushered in the New Year.

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Long Island College Hospital Resident Physicians Win Vote to Join CIR

Despite being a well-used and well-regarded community hospital, the Manhattan-based management of Brooklyn’s Long Island College Hospital (LICH) planned to close down multiple programs and sell off some of the hospital’s buildings. On December 10, 2008, LICH interns and residents responded by voting to join the Committee of Interns and Residents, coming together in a unanimous vote to have a voice in their hospital and on behalf of their patients.

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CIR Members Hold House Parties on Health Care Reform

As healthcare emerged as a major issue in the ’08 Presidential election, CIR members wanted to be well-informed about the two candidates’ plans for healthcare reform, and how their different approaches stack up from a physician perspective. In response, CIR jumped into action, helping to organize healthcare discussions or “house parties” in nearly all of our regions throughout the fall. The events culminated in action.

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Beginning to Build a Culture of Safety at the ACS Meeting on OR Safety

Dr. Vaughn Whittaker, a Transplant fellow at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital and a CIR NY Regional VP, and Sandy Shea, CIR Policy Director, attended the 2008 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in San Francisco on October 12-15, 2008. 

They were on a mission: to meet the College's OR Safety "movers and shakers" and to learn about new information and best practices on the topic of OR Safety.  They found a wealth of information on promoting a culture of safety in the OR.

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CIR Polls Members About Political Action

From August 1 through 15, 2008, CIR conducted its first-ever poll of CIR membership on issues relating to the health care system and the state of politics in the United States.  Advocating for better patient care through political action has been one of the primary missions of CIR since it was founded.  Throughout the years, we have added the doctor’s voice into the major policy discussions of the day. 

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Bringing Healthcare Reform to Our Nation's Top Political Conventions

As the United States counts down to an historic election this fall, the debate about healthcare reform in this country has taken on a sense of urgency for both political parties. Never has the voice of frontline providers of care been more critical in the national debate on healthcare reform. In recognition of this, CIR doctors were among the participants at SEIU events at both the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO and the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN.

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CIR Newsletter

CIR News: A quarterly publication where you can find out what residents in CIR hospitals across the country are doing. 

 CIR News June 2009

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