ventilators

From Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer:

I hope that this message finds you and your family safe and healthy. As you may know, Governor Cuomo recently announced an Executive Order instructing local hospitals and healthcare providers to surrender ventilators in order to support patients in the New York City region.

Healthcare providers from our region are expressing their concerns about the impact this could have on our community’s ability to fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic moving forward.  

Jody Lomeo, president and CEO of Kaleida Health, recently said in a statement, “Hoping for no surge here or a promise of reimbursement for ventilators in the future -- at time of great uncertainty -- would be irresponsible. I cannot jeopardize our workforce and the very patients that we are responsible to care for.”

In response to the concerns raised by local providers, I joined several of my colleagues in writing to the Governor requesting that he reconsider this Order.

I am hopeful the Governor and Department of Health will listen to medical providers, who are on the front lines fighting this pandemic, and work with other states who have a surplus of supplies, to acquire critical devices.  

To be clear, there is a real and ongoing need for medical supplies in the New York City metro area, however, it should not come at the expense of other communities in the state. It has been well documented that in the days and weeks ahead cases are expected to peak in our region. Now is not the time to export critical medical devices.

Press release:

NY-27 Congressional candidate Stefan I. Mychajliw Jr. is calling on candidate Chris Jacobs to apologize for an inflammatory and false tweet about ventilators being taken from Buffalo General Hospital.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an Executive Order authorizing the National Guard to confiscate ventilators and medical equipment from our medical facilities here to be taken for patients in and around New York City. The Jacobs campaign posted a false claim about 30 ventilators being taken from Buffalo General Hospital.

The incendiary tweet by the Jacobs campaign has since been deleted.

“People are scared," Mychajliw said. "Our community is panicking. Young and old are fearful of dying. Many people lost their jobs. The last thing we need is someone falsely fanning the flames of discord just to score a few cheap political points in the middle of a campaign. Chris Jacobs must apologize for this false, reckless and irresponsible claim.

“We need a steady hand. Elected leaders need to work together to stop Governor Cuomo. During these difficult times we need reassuring, measured leadership. This incendiary tweet represents the worst of politics during these challenging times."

The false tweet about 30 ventilators being confiscated from a Buffalo area hospital comes on the heels of Jacobs voting against paid leave for workers that lost their job due to the coronavirus crisis. The Jacobs family business, Delaware North, also placed almost 2,000 employees on temporary leave.

“Delaware North said it has placed more than two-thirds of its 3,100 full-time employees on temporary leave. That includes several hundred workers at its downtown headquarters on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo.”

Source: www.wbfo.org, “Pegulas pledge $1.2M in community aid; Delaware North cuts 2/3 of its workforce,” Mark Wozniak, March 25^th, 2020.

“All you need to know about Chris Jacobs: he voted against providing desperate relief to hard working people that lost their job because of the Coronavirus crisis. Now he’s trying to dodge and deflect that heartless vote by making false claims about ventilators being taken.This is not the kind of leadership we need in Congress,” concluded Mychajliw.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley has called out the executive order signed by Gov. Cuomo that requires the National Guard to transport extra ventilators from hospitals in Upstate New York and bring them to Downstate hospitals.

He is also fighting against the increased transport of COVID-19-infected patients from Downstate to Upstate hospitals.

“I am absolutely dumbfounded at the steps the governor has taken today to leave Upstate New York as vulnerable as Downstate has been during this health crisis,” Hawley said. “Not only will Upstate hospitals now be left with fewer ventilators for our citizens who need them, but an increase in transport of coronavirus cases to Upstate almost certainly means the virus will spread even quicker in our districts.

"It’s the worst possible management of this crisis I have seen thus far, and I am asking the governor to rescind his Executive Order. Upstate and Western New York lives matter.”