Another day, another low for the stock market as the Dow Jones opens below 8,000 for the first time since 2003. This should usher in more dire news for NY State, and probably another round of cuts for where I work. We’ve had to absorb three rounds of cuts so far, and, as we’re a public hospital and the last refuge for the sick and poor (not to mention we’re the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the region), we get screwed from multiple directions (and not in a good way).

First, we don’t turn anybody away. In fact, other hospitals turn the poor and uninsured folks over to us. So if the Governor cuts Medicaid payments, we have to bite the bullet and treat those people for less money (not that Medicaid was paying a whole hell of a lot to begin with). And as more and more people are out of work or just unable to afford health insurance, they also can’t afford to self-pay when they or their kids get sick or are in a fire or a car accident or whatever.

We’re also a teaching hospital, and part of the State University of NY (SUNY) system. SUNY is another favorite target of the Governor’s, so we’re getting cut to death on the academic side as well. According to our Governor, times are tough, so State employees need to forget about their lawfully negotiated pay raises for a while. Jobs are frozen, but since times are tough, there isn’t the amount of turnover there used to be, so we aren’t saving enough money. While they say no plans are in the works, it’s only a matter of time before the layoffs start. Oh, and with the loss of all the manufacturing jobs over the years, we’ve become the #1 employer in the region, too. So times will get even worse for those businesses that depend on our employees, which means even more people out of work and without health insurance.

In other words, the worse things get, the worse things get.

Now, I understand the Governor inherited a pile of shit from Pataki, but, in lieu of raising taxes, he says cuts need to be made in public services, healthcare, and education. Seems like there ought to be something else to cut, doesn’t there? And, really, if we can bail out Wall St. (and maybe now the auto industry) with billions of taxpayer dollars, can’t we have a buck or two to bail out schools and hospitals?