How to Act to Stop the Cuts at Grady

Bert Skellie of the Grady Coalition has sent this information on how to take action to stop the cuts:

"Please call or write CEO Young & Chair Pete Correll to urge them not to cut patients with incomes up to 250% of poverty from the rolls of Grady free care.

. . .

We plan to provide more details later on who else to contact & other addresses, but meanwhile you can call CEO Young's office at Grady at 404-616-4252 , and you can also leave a message for Pete Correll, Chair of Grady Board at the same number. Also, you can send a letter to either or both of them c/o Grady Health System, 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, SE, Atlanta, GA 30303. You can also send an email to CEO Young at myoung@gmh.edu.

Here's the text of an email I have just sent over. Please send your own letter or email by adding your own personal information at the beginning & putting in your own words concerns you have about the 250 – 125 cut.

'Greetings Mr. Young,

I am writing to urge you not to remove patients with incomes of up to 250% of poverty from the rolls of free care at Grady. As a resident of DeKalb County for most of my life, I appreciate Grady's crucial role as the safety net hospital for our area. I have had experience with Grady's good care of my son after an accident several years ago, and I have many friends who depend on Grady for their lives.

Thank you for referring the Grady Coalition to Mr. Ayers, who gave some of us a presentation on the proposal to change financial requirements for Grady patients.

I'm writing to urge you not to lower the free care income limits for Fulton and DeKalb patients from 250% to 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. I am concerned that most savings, if any, from this change, will come at the expense of the health and lives of patients who will be affected. Since many patients will understand that they must pay to get service, I believe thousands below this level of income ($26,000 for a single individual) will suffer, and some will die rather than seek the primary care they need.

Please do not make this dangerous change.'

Thanks for your help. Please circulate this email widely. A vote on this proposal is likely to be made at the January 5, 2009, Grady Corporation Board meeting."