home | our local

In Overwhelming Vote, Elmhurst Hospital Physicians Affiliate with Doctors Council

New York, N.Y: On Thursday, January 27th, doctors at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens voted nearly unanimously to affiliate with Doctors Council, which now represents doctors at over 40 public and private medical facilities in the Metropolitan Area including nearly all of the city's HHC hospitals and facilities and the Department of Health (DOH).  There are 230 doctors at Elmhurst Hospital, who are employed by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.  Elmhurst Hospital had been represented by the Attending Physicians Association (APA), which will now operate as an affiliate of Doctors Council.  Doctors Council already represents the Mount Sinai doctors working at Queens Hospital in Jamaica.

"Our goal for Elmhurst and for all of our members is to enable doctors to deliver the best possible patient care in an environment where they are treated with respect and fairness," said Barry Liebowitz, M.D., President of Doctors Council. "As the proud union representative for the doctors at Elmhurst Hospital, we will ensure that this goal is met."

"The attending physicians at our facility have a long history of dedication to the well-being of the people of this community," noted Nina Caplin, M.D., President of the APA, which affiliated with Doctors Council.  "We view this affiliation as a great opportunity to develop innovative programs, maintain a high-quality staff and provide the best possible health care to the patients we serve."

Elmhurst Hospital is among the largest hospitals represented by Doctors Council, after King's County Medical Center, which has over 400 doctors and Bellevue with over 300 doctors.  It is the latest victory in a period of extraordinary growth for the union, having organized doctors at 11 facilities since 2000 including Metropolitan Hospital in Harlem, Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, the Diagnostic and Treatment Centers (D&TCs) in Northern Manhattan, Coler-Goldwater on Roosevelt Island, the medical facilities at the Ryan-Nena Community Health Center, Rikers Island, Rockland County, Queens Hospital Center in Jamaica, Bergen Regional Medical Center and the State University of Rutgers Student Health Services in New Jersey.

"Doctors Council is committed to the recruitment and retention of qualified doctors by advocating for our members and their patients with a single unified voice," said Frank Proscia, M.D., Executive Director of Doctors Council.  "Now, with the addition of Elmhurst to our membership, we have strengthened the voice of all doctors in achieving these objectives both at Elmhurst Hospital and citywide."

Doctors Council is the nation's oldest and largest union of attending physicians and dentists in the United States. On March 1, 1999 Doctors Council affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).  As part of the affiliation, Doctors Council partnered with the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) and formed the National Doctors Alliance to represent doctors nationwide. Doctors Council represents doctors at numerous public and private hospitals, clinics and municipal agencies.  For more information, visit www.doctorscouncil.com.
     

##