The UCONN Health Center AAUP welcomes the prospect of an assessment of the health and welfare of the Health Center by Dr. Cato Laurencin.
We will be looking for realism and courage in assessing the share of the widespread ill-health of hospitals generally, and the share of the economic downturn of the economy that we collectively should look to bear.
Central to this will be the Dean's view of whether the only practical salvation is what amounts to a turn-over of the Health Center's clinical operations to Hartford Hospital. Something has to be done, but it is not clear that this is the only option, a proposal so far not of interest to the legislature. We hope that there will be a public discussion where during which the interests and opinions of the faculty will be heard and acted upon.
Faculty should look to see whether the report indicates the Health Center will resume interest in matters such as ensuring equity in appointments and promotions, in child care (both matters protected by our colleagues at Storrs), whether meaningful governance will reappear and what guarantees can be assured with or without a contract, and whether the CREATE sort of proposals will be dropped in favor of a faculty initiated set of assessment rules initiated and evaluated by the faculty.
The state of affairs in health care costs and reimbursements was not good before the economic downturn and has only become worse as a result. The Health Center needs a coordinated approach to relations to many area hospitals not a sell-off of assets in personnel and facilities, but change of some sort is inevitable. Participation of the faulty in terms of generating ideas and in assessing proposed changes, ought to be a mode that is embraced both in the halls of the Health Center and at the capitol. Historically, that has not been the case. Collectively more beneficial solutions can be realized and in a more efficient manner than otherwise. We hope that these issues will be addressed by the Dean.
Other employees of UCHC have a say in the future of the Health Center and how as well as why there may be some merger of clinical operations with Hartford Hospital (and perhaps others). The medical and dental faculty, all of them, ought to have their views heard as well.
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Visit www.uchcaaup.org FAQ to read AAUP is a No Strike Union
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