Montefiore Statement on Today's Student Demonstrators; Commitment to #DoNoHarm
Montefiore/Einstein Stand in Solidarity - Access to Healthcare is a Right, Not a Privilege
Jan 30, 2017, 13:45 ET
NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Medical students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore, joined forces today in a public demonstration pledging to support and protect the Affordable Care Act, which is in jeopardy of being repealed.
The entire Montefiore-Einstein community stands in solidarity with these student demonstrators. We applaud and support their peaceful but forceful position that a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, without a good replacement plan, will cause undue harm to nearly 3 million New Yorkers and 20 million Americans who have gained coverage from the law.
"Our strong support for Einstein students stems from our deep commitment to healthcare as a basic human right and Montefiore's decades-long leadership in transforming healthcare to make it more effective, more comprehensive and more accessible," said Steven M. Safyer, M.D., president and CEO, Montefiore Medicine. "Governor Cuomo, in his State of the State address, praised our success and pioneering work on behalf of our patients. Einstein students learn at Montefiore's hospitals and practices in the Bronx, and have seen first-hand how the innovative programs and life-saving care provided by Montefiore-Einstein physicians have improved the health and lives of people in our community, one of the poorest and unhealthiest in the country. Our medical students represent the future of medicine and today's march underscores their unwavering support for accountable and accessible care for all Americans."
When these young students begin their practice, they will swear an oath to Do No Harm; they understand that any policy that takes affordable medical insurance away from millions of people who need it will, in fact, cause harm.
Einstein students, and their fellow medical students throughout the region, will be the doctors of the future. They are protesting because they know that a repeal of the ACA represents a dangerous step into the past.
We should all heed their call to action at this time of uncertainty.
About Montefiore Health System
Montefiore Health System is one of New York's premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 10 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and close to 200 outpatient care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its' medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its' preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube.
About Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2016-2017 academic year, Einstein is home to 717 M.D. students, 166 Ph.D. students, 103 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 278 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2016, Einstein received more than $160 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.
SOURCE Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore