It's easy to get caught up in the political tug-of-war that plays out in Congress around the immigration issue. Too often, the immigration debate forgets people like Micheline--and the millions of other faces of the men and women whose aspirations and achievements have been clouded by their immigration status.

At SEIU, we're making a renewed effort to put a human face on immigration--and put a face on the SEIU members who are fighting to overhaul our broken immigration system. One of those members is Micheline Charles, a nursing assistant and member of SEIU Healthcare Florida. In this video, Micheline shares her story of migrating to southern Florida from Haiti. In the years since her arrival in this country, Michelle has not just became a U.S. citizen and raised a beautiful family--she's also become a champion labor organizer for her fellow home care colleagues in the Miami area.

Watch her tell her story:

Dr. Toni Lewis, president of The Committee of Interns and Residents of SEIU Healthcare, joined 149 other doctors for an event in the Rose Garden with President Barack Obama on Monday. The President re-iterated that doctors, who see patients daily, are some of our strongest supporters of reform, because they see first-hand the damage caused by our broken system.

Concurrently, 20 CIR/SEIU doctors descended on Capitol Hill in their white coats to thank their members of Congress for supporting comprehensive health care reform. They came from chapters in Massachusetts, New York, Florida and California with one clear voice: doctors support health care reform this year, because our patients can't wait.

The doctors attended a "National Grand Rounds" in Union Station - a panel discussion for physicians and medical students on what is and is not in the health reform proposals moving through Congress. For 45 minutes, they witnessed in a lively discussion moderated by Dr. Arthur Kellermann, the Associate Dean for Health Policy at Emory University School of Medicine and a former co-chair of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance, and had their questions answered by policy staff from the White House Office of Health Reform, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Afterward, CIR/SEIU residents spent the afternoon on the Hill, advocating for real reform that will make a difference for their patients and in the safety-net hospitals they work in. They also took the opportunity to present the Congressional staffers with posters based on the ad which had previously run in Roll Call, attesting to the support of half a million doctors for health care reform.

As the health care reform debate heats up, doctors are joining the fight on behalf of their patients. Monday, doctors' groups representing more than 500,000 physicians nationwide, including the SEIU Healthcare's Committee of Interns and Residents, Doctors Council and National Doctors Alliance, convened in Washington, DC to announce their new ad campaign.

In an unprecedented joint endeavor, representatives from a variety of prominent doctors' groups came together to create an ad that will run in the print and online editions of Roll Call this week. This ad is just another way in which SEIU doctors have voiced their strong support for health care reform.

"Doctors have a real stake in this effort," said Dr. L. Toni Lewis, President of the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare. "We have put off reform in the past, only to see even more patients unable to afford the care we prescribe, even more of our judgments overruled by insurance companies, and even fewer investments in primary care, prevention, health IT, and developing the physician workforce of tomorrow. Now is the time for dramatic change to improve the welfare of our communities and the financial health of our hospitals."

In addition to the SEIU groups mentioned above, the ad also features endorsements by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Surgeons, the American Medical Association, the American Medical Student Association, the American Osteopathic Association, Doctors for America, the National Medical Association and the National Physicians Alliance.

Last week, Democratic Rep. Russ Carnahan's health care town hall in St. Louis, Missouri turned violent after conservative right-wing protesters clashed with pro-reform union workers. On MSNBC's "The Ed Show," Dr. L Toni Lewis, President of the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), discusses SEIU's ongoing efforts to keep the focus of town halls on the need for health care reform.

Fact check on St. Louis town hall here.

Tonight at 6:15 p.m. (EDT), CIR/SEIU Healthcare President Dr. L Toni Lewis will be live on the Ed Show on MSNBC to discuss the ongoing healthcare town halls. She will discuss how SEIU members, from Louisiana to North Carolina to President Obama's event today in New Hampshire have pledged to keep the focus on the need for reform.

Fact check on the St. Louis town hall: For clarity on what happened at last week's Missouri healthcare town hall meeting, visit http://www.seiu.org/a/healthcare/truth-about-what-happened-in-missouri.php

In union news this week...

• Disability service workers at the Ulster-Greene ARC in New York State voted overwhelmingly to join SEIU Local 200United over the weekend. These 600 workers provide services to more than 1,000 people with developmental disabilities-- epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, to name just a few.

• On Friday, SEIU hosted a myth-busting conference call with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and thousands of SEIU members across the country. "This is our moment in history and we don't want to look back and say 'if only we had...'" said Sebelius, urging SEIU members to attend local health care town hall meetings and spread the word that those supporting reform need to write letters to their Congressperson or Senator "so our representatives know we need healthcare reform this year."

• Just eight months after U.S. creditors pulled its credit lines and forced the 100 year-old company whose employees make suits for President Obama to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the Hartmarx purchase is (finally!) finalized...thanks largely to the efforts of Workers United members, who saved the company--and their jobs.

• SEIU 32BJ's Training Fund has developed the first-ever Green Buildings Initiative to train building superintendents in the latest, state-of-the-art, best practices in energy efficiency to foster the greening of NYC's buildings.

• Andy Stern discusses healthcare reform with Roland Martin on the Tom Joyner Morning Show.

• "Fixing our country's health care system is a pressing issue for every American, but it's of critical importance to communities of color," writes CIR/SEIU Healthcare President Dr. L Toni Lewis and SEIU Healthcare Chair Dennis Rivera in a guest op-ed on BlackAmericaWeb.com entitled "Why We Need Healthcare Reform Now."

• The NY Times publishes an op-ed by Dr. L Toni Lewis honoring journalist Sidney Zion's work to uncover the connection between hospital staff hours and medical errors.

• The 1021 NewsWire and other SEIU Local 1021 publications win a total of six awards for excellence in writing, design and production from the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA). Congrats!

A new blog, www.examinebarnabas.org, was launched last week to help the Bronx community get the full story about St. Barnabas Hospital, a 461-bed acute care hospital and Level I Trauma Center that thousands of patients depend on for critical care.

Given St. Barnabas's declining revenue, the resident physicians at the hospital are concerned certain members of the staff are being paid excessively high salaries--for example, the top 5 executives at St. Barnabas Hospital received aggregate pay increases of 35% between 2002 and 2007. So if St. Barnabas executives got raises, it must mean they deserved it because they improved the hospital's financial performance, right? Not quite.

A quick look at the hospital's financial statements over the past four years suggests that financial performance is getting worse, not better. In 2008 alone, St. Barnabas posted a loss of $10 million on hospital operations and additional $30 million loss on investments.

Between 2005 and 2007, St. Barnabas ex-CEO Ronald Gade's post-retirement yearly salary of $1.2 million per year would have made him one of the highest-paid hospital employees in New York City. Yet this was the salary Gade received when he was no longer even employed with the hospital--rather, this was the yearly payment he received as a consultant in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

So who pays the price for executive raises? While St. Barnabas executives have been receiving increases, they have used the hospital's declining financial performance as a reason to cut back on benefits and health coverage offered to hard-working health care professionals at St. Barnabas. (Here are copies of memos to employees announcing benefits cuts.)

In a letter sent last week to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, CIR President Dr. Nailah Thompson asked for an investigation of executive pay at the struggling Bronx hospital. Hospitals like St. Barnabas are essential to the health of the communities they serve--and the hospital's revenue is largely thanks to the public, as this is the type of funding most of the hospital's revenue is derived from. The question is, how much of American taxpayers' dollars are executives keeping for themselves? "With so much of our economy in flux, now more than ever, the people of New York need to be reassured that the institutions we rely on are worthy of the trust that we put into them," said Dr. L. Toni Lewis, president of the Committee of Interns and Residents.

"Examining St. Barnabas" will provide information and commentary about the hospital's fiscal health, executive salaries and patient satisfaction. The blog will also follow the hospital's efforts to expand to new areas of the Bronx, as well as seek input from site visitors. What do you think about millionaire "non-profit" CEOs in the Bronx? Visit www.examinebarnabas.org and share your thoughts.

On Wednesday as Senator Jeff Bingaman joined his colleagues on the Senate HELP Committee to vote for sending a comprehensive health care bill to the Senate Floor, he was joined by dozens of New Mexico doctors, nurses, and health care providers assembled to show support for a robust public health insurance option in 2009. Seventy-two percent of Americans say they want a public option that competes with private insurance companies and keeps them honest--and that number includes 50 percent of registered Republicans.

"One thing we've learned from our patients is that they don't want the government doing everything when it comes to health care," said Dr. John Winters, an Internal Medicine physician and CIR member. "But they do think government should advocate for them, and that it should set and enforce the rules so that private insurance companies can't put profits before our health."

Senator passes check-up with flying colors! Outside of his Albuquerque district office, the doctors and activists presented the Senator with a "Health Care Reform Check-up," an examination of Sen. Bingaman's progress to date. Based on the positions the Senator has taken in the Senate, the healthcare providers awarded him with a 'clean bill of health.'

"In New Mexico, two insurance companies hold 54% of the market," said Dr. Shadi Battah, an Internal Medicine physician and CIR member. "So it's no wonder that premiums have skyrocketed 92% over the past 7 years. No one's holding their feet to the fire. I want my patients to have a choice between public and private - and I'm glad to see Sen. Bingaman wants to give us the choice as well!"

In 2005, J Dilla was an influential hip-hop producer and rising artist whose promising life was cut short by complications stemming from his battle with Lupus. Without health insurance, the costs associated with his care reached triple digits. In the United States, 60% of uninsured Americans are self-employed or employed by a small business that does not offer health benefits.

This Wednesday, SEIU is hosting a discussion at our headquarters on how health care reform can prevent the kind of financial stress and hardship J Dilla's loved ones--the Yancey family--has endured due to the high cost of medical treatment.

WHO: Mr. Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor, member of A Tribe Called Quest & Diabetes patient; Ms. Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey, J Dilla's mother; Dr. L Toni Lewis, President of Committee of Interns & Residents/SEIU; Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Hip Hop Caucus; Casey-Rae Hunter, Future of Music Coalition

WHAT: Roundtable discussion about health care reform and its implications for individuals in the arts and beyond.

WHERE: SEIU International Headquarters
1800 Massachusetts Ave
Washington, DC 20036

WHEN: Wednesday, July 8th 1 - 2 PM

If you're interested in attending, please contact healthcareremix@gmail.com

Presented by SEIU, LFAGW & Hedrush Entertainment, the 4th Annual J Dilla Tribute & Fundraiser will take place that same night at Liv Niteclub in Washington, DC at 9pm. This is a free event, but donations are encouraged. To RSVP, visit http://dilladc09.eventbrite.com/.

In his 50 minute address to the American Medical Association today at the group's annual convention in Chicago, President Obama reiterated his strong support for a truly national public health insurance plan, calling the current state of the nation's health care system a "ticking time bomb." Obama declared health care reform an urgent priority, saying "If we fail to act, premiums will climb higher, benefits will erode further, and the rolls of uninsured will swell to include millions more Americans."

As President Obama made his case for a health care system overhaul, he touched on several ways to cut costs we had yet to hear him address within a single public speech: he promoted preventative care instead of disease management and advocated for health IT (specifically, switching from paper to electronic health records). He urged examining inefficiencies in the Medicare program and introducing competitive bidding into the Medicare Advantage program, as well as exchanging doctors' current fee-for-service based pay system for a more outcomes-based system.

Prior to President Obama's AMA address today, doctors and physicians-in-training put out a statement in support of the creation of a public health insurance option signed by eight organizations: CIR/SEIU Healthcare, the Doctors Council, AAFP, AMSA, Doctors for America, NPA and SNMA. The groups--whose members combined represent 215,000 physicians and physicians-in-training--also hosted a conference call with key reporters to express their support for President Obama's goals for healthcare reform. "We believe we need a truly robust, quality public health insurance option," said Dr. L. Toni Lewis, President of CIR/SEIU Healthcare (CIR). "Quality is something I really want to stress here, meaning: our patients would have a public option that provides them with the care they need."

"The thousands of devastating stories of Americans unable to get care can make it feel impossible to practice medicine some days," says NPA President Dr. Valerie Arkoosh. "But these stories also serve to remind us every day of our ethical duties to put our patients' care ahead of insurance companies. Competition provides us with choice and makes our market better--and a strong, national health insurance option would do the same."

"I need your help, doctors"
President Obama told attendees of the AMA conference today that no reform effort could be successful without the buy-in of the nation's doctors, declaring at one point, "The public option is not your enemy, it is your friend." The President also labeled those who call his plan "socialized medicine" naysayers and fear mongers, reassuring his audience that those who claim he is trying to bring about government-run health care are "not telling the truth."

Dr. Nikhil Wagle, cofounder of Doctors of America, says the number one priority for doctors in fixing our broken healthcare system is doing what's best for patients--and this includes the choice to keep the insurance they have or sign up for a robust, public healthcare option. "As doctors, we see the effect of our broken healthcare system and what happens when our patients are denied the care they need," said Dr. Wagle. "It's the real experience with doctors and patients that must be what guides us in this effort towards healthcare reform."

"To say it as plainly as I can, health care reform is the single most important thing we can do for America's long-term fiscal health. That is a fact," said President Obama. Read the transcript of his entire speech here.

Other notable parts of Obama's June 15 speech to the AMA after the break.

A coalition of 8 organizations representing over 200,000 physicians and physicians-in-training, including SEIU's Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) and Doctors Council, issued a statement this morning in support of achieving health care reform this year, including the creation of a robust, high-quality public health insurance option. According to the release, "All doctors need to work together to solve our health care crisis. Part of this solution should be the inclusion of a high-quality public health insurance option that competes fairly with private plans." Read the whole statement.

The coalition members are the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare, Doctors Council/SEIU Healthcare, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Medical Student Association, Doctors for America, National Physicians Alliance and the Student National Medical Association. The coalition--which combined represents 215,000 physicians and physicians-in-training--is hosting a conference call with key reporters today to express their support for President Obama's goals for healthcare reform. Stay tuned for details from the call later this afternoon.

Nearly 100 doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals gathered Friday in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in support of quality, affordable health care for all.

Two hundred and thirty-two years ago, our nation's leaders came together in this same spot to affirm certain inalienable rights: the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

These days, though, far too many Americans are denied their pursuit of happiness, grappling with a health care system that obstructs the vision outlined in the Declaration of Independence.

Watch Dr. L. Toni Lewis, resident physicians from the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare and other health care professionals explain why they're rallying for health care reform in Philadelphia this weekend.

All over America this April, thousands are mobilizing their members of Congress to pass quality, affordable healthcare for all in 2009. Members of the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare (CIR) have been participating in in-district health care reform events during the Congressional spring recess. Several events took place over the past week in New Jersey, New York and New Mexico.

On Tuesday, small business owners, workers, consumers and leaders in the movement to fix health care packed the room at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Montclair, NJ for a town hall meeting. Attendees shared personal stories of the struggles they face in obtaining good quality, affordable health insurance for themselves, their families and in some cases, their employees. CIR Regional Vice President Dr. Snehal Bhatt and Dr. Michael Nagar, a pathology resident at Robert Wood Johnson, represented CIR at the forum. Other attendees included Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Health, and SEIU New Jersey State Council Director David McCann. Photos of the event here.

In New York, members of the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare (CIR), 1199SEIU and SEIU Local 32BJ joined more than 20 other local and national organizations to discuss healthcare reform with Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) at a roundtable and press conference on April 13. During the discussion moderated by L. Toni Lewis, M.D., CIR Director, the Senator agreed to support an affordable public health insurance option with comprehensive benefits, access for all including immigrants, and which adopts the House budget reconciliation process to achieve goals in spending.

Read more about the event. Photos here.

In New Mexico on April 9, CIR helped organize a 500-person rally and dance party in support of health care reform at Albuquerque's Tiguex Park. CIR National President Dr. Toni Lewis and Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Elizabeth Burpee both spoke at the event, "Salsa to Save Lives," emphasizing the need for health care reform from a doctor's perspective, healthcare disparities, and the public insurance option. Legislative staff representing the voices of four of the five members of the New Mexico congressional delegation--Sens. Bingman, Udall, and Reps. Heinrich and Lujan--also spoke at the event. Rally participants called members of Congress on their cell phones to support the public option and health care reform.

Residency is filled with long hours, a lot of work, but it can also be full of surprises, meaningful downtime with colleagues and quirky stories. A picture is worth a thousand words, so CIR/SEIU Healthcare decided to hold their first-ever photo contest, asking for photos submissions taken by members representing what it's like to be a resident physician on any given day.

Photos were judged by a team that included CIR editorial staff, resident physicians, and professional photographers. Check out the winning submissions here.

"CIR Department Reps Welcome the New Skeleton"
1st place, Dr. Jared Toman of Boston Medical Center

The story behind the picture: "We were able to purchase this fantastic skeleton for the 25 residents in our department thanks to the generosity of the educational materials allowance provided by the CIR. The pictures residents are our departmental CIR reps, Adam Rana (taller left) and myself (shorter right). I hope this photo fits in with the lighter-hearted tone, but also helps demonstrate the real results that the CIR has on the everyday life of resident staff, especially at Boston Medical Center."

"Hanging Out in the Call Room"
2nd place, Dr. Sandra Mesliniene of St. Luke's Roosevelt

"Samurai Sword in Trauma"
3rd place, Dr. Wendy Ruggeri of Lincoln Medical Center

The story behind the picture: "A trauma night at Lincoln: A male patient came in stating he was sleeping with his sword and accidentally got it into his neck. The tip of the sword was inserted in a vertical plane, but did not violate the platysma. The patient made it without complications."

Congratulations to CIR's photo contest winners! Check out CIR's Flickr account for more shots of the residents in action at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cirseiu/

Special thanks to Tim Foley, CIR's New Media Director, for providing us with this information and winning photos.

Beginning this week, SEIU health care professionals, leaders and members will hold discussions with the Obama transition team about making comprehensive, affordable health care a reality for everyone in America. "Take the momentum of the win from election and actually turn it into change that works," said Dr. L. Toni Lewis, President of SEIU's Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR).

Submit your information and ideas directly to the transition team or sign up to host your own health care reform discussions.

Physicians Seek to Save Their Programs, Hospital from Closure

Last week, interns and residents at Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Brooklyn, NY unanimously voted to join the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) of SEIU Healthcare, coming together to have a voice at their hospital and on behalf of their patients.

Despite being a well-regarded and essential community hospital, the Manhattan-based management of Brooklyn's Long Island College Hospital (LICH) is in the process of planning to close down multiple programs and sell off some of the hospital's buildings:

"I was part of a CIR union chapter in Miami, and it definitely makes a difference," said Dr. Lilliam Villafredez, a resident in Internal Medicine. "It's our right as residents to have a voice."

CIR will continue to work with and win union representation for the remaining 90 residents, who are paid by LICH but work at other hospitals. Resident physicians at LICH, together with CIR will continue to work with the community to ensure that vital programs like maternity and pediatric care remain open.