Statement of Solidarity with the Bradford community, McKean County and Save Bradford Hospital Group from the regional Healthcare Rights Committees of Put People First! PA
“We Get Sick, They Get Rich! It Does Not Have To Be Like This”
These lines are from a song written by one of our members about the crisis in our healthcare system. We are a group of everyday people from across the state whose families and friends have been hurt, harmed or killed by a healthcare system that uses our sickness for profiteering and puts money over our lives.
We have also experienced the gutting of our hospitals bit by bit. The closing of labor and delivery units and emergency rooms. The reduction of in-patient beds. We have also experienced the profiteers who came in with big plans and left with broken promises.
We have also experienced job loss, and the loss of identity when the hospitals where we – our babies, cousins, nieces and nephews were born – are gone. These aren’t just buildings, they’re community institutions that generations of families have worked, contributed to, and benefited from.
We see you. We appreciate all that you have done to fight to keep Bradford Regional Medical Center alive.
At our National Day of Action last September, we held a sit-in at Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Delaware County. All four hospitals in the Crozer system have now been closed by private equity in Southeast PA.
After years of meetings with elected officials, thousands of conversations with other impacted community members, our own research, and linking up with people across the state and the nation in the same predicament – we came together to say “enough is enough”.
After being told “we don’t need hospitals anymore” and “there’s nothing we can do” by power-holders we had to escalate – nonviolently. Just a stone’s throw from where MLK went to seminary, we followed in his footsteps by breaking the law to stand up to a system in which there is no law to prevent a hospital from closing. This video shares a glimpse into that day.
Now, there is talk of bringing healthcare services back to the site of Crozer-Chester hospital. There are many entities working on this and we are proud to be among them on the front lines of this struggle. We ultimately work toward a publicly run community hospital that can bring an end to the backroom deals once and for all.
We have seen the news reports saying “there is a good announcement coming” in your situation. We are with you and we are praying for a positive outcome for the Bradford community. Thank you for all that you do to put people first!
- Healthcare is a Human Right Campaign, hospitals, Providers/Healthcare Workers, Statements
- Bradford, crozer, delco, McKean County, Save Bradford Hospital