Lee: Tasion Kwamilele: 202.870.2697 | Tasion.kwamilele@mail.house.gov
AHS: Lorna Fernandes: 510.506.0812 | lfernandes@alamedahealthsystem.org
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Tours Highland Hospital’s New Acute Tower
Oakland, Calif. – August 3, 2017 – Congresswoman Barbara Lee toured Highland Hospital’s newly designated adult Level 1 Trauma Center to learn more about the services provided to East Bay residents, and to highlight devastating impacts to those services if the Affordable Care Act is repealed.
“I am truly pleased with the high-quality service being offered at Highland Hospital and every patient in Oakland, and throughout the East Bay, should be confident that they are receiving the best care,” said Congresswoman Lee. “A majority of the patients seen at Highland Hospital, and throughout the Alameda Health System, are Medi-Cal recipients, and repealing the Affordable Care Act would have had devastating impacts on their access to care, and the quality of care AHS is able to provide.”
Under the Affordable Care Act, which included the expansion of Medi-Cal, Alameda County’s uninsured rate dropped from 12.6 percent to 4.8 percent. Alameda Health Systems has since seen an 18 percent increase of primary and specialty care utilization. In July, Highland Hospital’s Trauma Department was designated an adult Level 1 Trauma Center, becoming the only hospital in the East Bay with this designation. If the Affordable Care Act was repealed, Alameda Health System was projected to lose $94 million in revenue each year.
“Alameda Health System is Alameda County’s public health care system, and is the heart of the county’s health care safety net, providing comprehensive care to all residents,” said Delvecchio Finley, chief executive officer, AHS. “Our trauma services are an example of essential services we provide for the entire community, including hardworking low income individuals and their families. Our hope is that proposed changes to the ACA will allow us to maintain these critical services and provide vulnerable populations with greater assurance of coverage and access to health when needed.”
About Alameda Health System
Alameda Health System (AHS), headquartered in Oakland, Calif., is a leading public health care provider and medical training institution recognized for its excellent patient and family-centered system of care. AHS currently provides more than 4,500 jobs and houses more than 1,500 physicians across nine facilities, including five hospitals and a network of community-based wellness centers. For more information, visit AlamedaHealthSystem.org.
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