Healthcare workers joined forces with community members, faith leaders and elected officials to demand an independent review of One Brooklyn Health System (OBH) governance.
OBH’s board chairman Alexander Rovt, recently removed OBH CEO LaRay Brown without input from the community and labor partners involved in Brooklyn’s healthcare transformation, advocates allege.
“The board of One Brooklyn Health must be responsible and accountable to patients, the community and workers. We demand that Governor Hochul ensure proper oversight, reform the board, and make real investments in safety-net institutions to ensure that all Brooklyn residents have access to the quality healthcare they deserve,” said George Gresham, 1199SEIU president, in a press release.
Rovt’s actions threaten to destabilize healthcare delivery in Brooklyn when accountable leadership and more resources are sorely needed, advocates said.
“One Brooklyn Health was built on transparency and collaboration, yet the Board’s approach to LaRay Brown’s removal flies in the face of OBH’s foundational values,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
“The healthcare workers who deliver on OBH’s vision of a healthy Brooklyn deserve transparency, accountability, and a say in who is at the system’s helm–as do the people the system serves. I stand with 1199SEIU, The New York State Nurses Association, The Committee of Interns and Residents, OBH staff, and community leaders in calling on the State to get involved in establishing transparency and accountability from top to bottom within OBH. Without intervention, OBH will not be able to deliver quality care to Brooklyn residents.”
OBH emerged after a commitment from New York state’s elected leaders to transform Brooklyn health care, address the social determinants of health and invest in the full range of healthcare needs. Healthcare workers and elected officials want Gov. Kathy Hochul to demonstrate her commitment to the same goals by working with the Charities Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s office to restructure the OBH Board and supporting an independent review of the state’s progress towards Vital Brooklyn goals, including OBH’ financial position.
“As doctors we work tirelessly everyday to provide the best possible care to every patient that comes through the doors of our OBH hospitals. Decisions about our hospitals and our vital resources should not be made without full transparency and input from the community and the frontline healthcare workers that keep our hospitals running. The communities that OBH serves have been underfunded and under-resourced for far too long, we demand transparency, fairness and vital funding now,” said Dr Colleen Achong, CIRSEIU New York Regional Vice President.
