Oregon AFSME Retires Support for Eugene Healthcare Coaliton

 When Peace Health closed Eugene's only Emergency Hospital December 2023, a coalition of Unions and Community Organizations start meeting. The organizations included Cahoots, ONA, HCAO, DSA, SEIU, GTFF and others. They have developed the following mission statement and are now in the process of reaching out to other organizations to join in support.  Oregon AFSCME Chapter 75 has joined and supports the following:

We are dedicated to advocating for the medical needs of our community, with a focus on acute mental and physical care needs. The closure of Eugene’s only emergency room and hospital taught us that relying on the private sector to provide for these needs puts our community at risk of losing critical services without notice or recourse. The on-going mergers and acquisitions in our corporatized health care system only further jeopardize our ability to provide for our acute care needs. We maintain that Eugene and neighboring communities would benefit from a publicly funded hospital that serves the region. We believe that working towards this goal through education and advocacy will create a pathway in which we, as a community, have agency over how our medical needs are met now and for the long-term benefit of all residents of Eugene and Lane County.

For more information contact:

Lou Sinniger, Pres. AFSCME Retirees Subchapter 41

Sinniger@efn.org  541-954-2356