At the same time it was mobilizing an advocacy campaign to persuade the New York State Legislature to reject Governor Paterson’s proposed $505 million in Medicaid cuts and health care taxes (see story, page 1), the GNYHA/1199 SEIU Healthcare Education Project released a new brochure highlighting its mission and achievements.

History: Founded in 1999, the Healthcare Education Project’s mission is to protect and expand access to quality, affordable health care for all New Yorkers. Its many advocacy successes include leading the fight to create New York’s groundbreaking Family Health Plus program, which provides health insurance to approximately one million working New Yorkers and their families and championing the enactment of the Healthcare Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers (HEAL NY), which resulted in $1 billion for capital investment in New York’s aging health care facilities.

Recent Campaigns: More recently, the Healthcare Education Project launched creative campaigns to promote awareness of New York’s world class teaching hospitals and the importance of graduate medical education, and to stop President Bush’s proposed $200 billion in cuts to New York State teaching hospitals over the next five years.   The Healthcare Education Project will continue its mission to educate and inform both the public and elected officials about issues critical to New York’s hospitals, nursing homes, and home care workers. In the words of House Ways & Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), “The Healthcare Education Project has been a passionate and incredibly effective advocate for protecting and expanding access to affordable health insurance.”