New Jersey/ D.C.

What to Watch for in 2010

• Fighting for a Fair Contract
• Post-Residency Life Workshop
• Leadership Opportunities
Report by Dr.Michael Nagar, CIR Regional Vice President

RESIDENTS, FELLOWS, COLLEAGUES…
I’d like to share with you a brief update on the outlook for CIR in New Jersey in 2010, as well as a few opportunities for CIR members that you won’t want to miss.

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Who Knows Better Than Us the Need for Healthcare Reform?

It’s no question that health care reform will strongly impact the careers of all of us. It’s arguably one of the most important public debates of our lives. Like many of you, I’ve spent time in a state university hospital which is overrun with patients who cannot afford follow-up outpatient care and end up back in our ER. I’ve seen good people who’ve fallen on hard times who just can’t get the care they need. It’s not right.

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Making Progress in New Jersey and Across the Country

As the debate over health insurance reform heated up, CIR was on the front line. Residents like Dr. Tony Tarchichi have spoken at town-hall meetings. Others have written letters to the editors, and spoken one-on-one with their members of Congress. We as residents have a vested interest and an individual responsibility to be at the forefront of these discussions; through CIR, residents are organizing and being heard!

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CIR Meets New Jersey Governor Corzine

On August 8, New Jersey CIR members received a commitment from Governor Jon Corzine that residents affiliated with a new medical school will have the right to join CIR as state employees, if they so choose.

The meeting at Rutgers University was an endorsement interview conducted by the SEIU NJ State Council, of which CIR is a member. Although CIR does not plan to endorse a candidate in this year’s elections, CIR doctors were invited to participate in the forum.

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Report by Dr. Michael Nagar, NJ Regional Vice President

Residents, Fellows, Colleagues...
It is a great privilege and honor to be your new regional vice president for New Jersey, and Washington DC. It is a challenging yet exciting time to be a resident/fellow and CIR member.

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Residents Honored at Robert Wood Johnson

On Monday, March 30, 2009, RWJMS residents celebrated the first-ever Residents Appreciation Day at the hospital, scheduled to coincide with the 76th annual National Doctors Day. Over a hundred residents took advantage of the event, enjoying delicious Indian food, live music, and much-needed chair massages.

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New Jersey Hospital February Roundup

A roundup of recent news and updates from CIR New Jersey hospitals. CIR addressed problems with call rooms and parking at St. Michael's and continues to work with UMDNJ residents on negotiating salary increases and back pay, filing grievances and distributing contract surveys to prepare for the next bargaining cycle.

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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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Speaking with CIR’s NJ Vice President Dr. Snehal Bhatt

As a part of my month long rotation providing substance abuse treatment to underserved rural communities in New Mexico, I spent a few days in New Mexico, seeing patients, and thinking about the state of healthcare in our country.

New Mexico is beautiful — mountains, covered in piñon and sagebrush, soar upwards. Aspen trees signal the coming of autumn by glowing gold, adding beautiful color to the endless stretch of desert and mountains. I was in Carlsbad, a town known for the caverns that lie on its outskirts. However, it is also a town facing major challenges – a struggling economy, rising drug addictions, and limited access to healthcare.

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UMDNJ Residents Win Meal Grievance

UMDNJ-SOM Emergency Medicine residents won’t go hungry in the night, thanks to a huge victory CIR recently won in arbitration against UMDNJ.

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UMDNJ Residents Help Push Back Health Premium Increase

In June 2007, the administration of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) made a sudden announcement: all employees, including the 1,100 CIR members who work in UMDNJ’s hospitals across the state, would now have 1.5% of their earnings deducted from each paycheck as a health insurance premium. CIR members united with coworkers to achieve major workplace victory.

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Family Medicine Program to Continue at Robert Wood Johnson

For CIR residents at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s Department of Family Medicine in New Brunswick, NJ, it took a lot of hard work to buck the trend towards specialization, and keep their program open.

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