Thursday, December 18, 12:30 – 1:00 PM, Ashbel Smith Hall, 201 W. 7th St., 9th floor

Support quality health care for Texans. Oppose the closing of the University of Texas Medical Branch hospital in Galveston. Be there to show your support for UTMB services and employees. Come to the public session of the UT Board of Regents meeting where we will be wearing “Rebuild UTMB” stickers to send a signal to the regents that Texans want the UTMB hospital to be rebuilt, not closed.

UTMB has recently announced that it will not reopen most of the its John Sealy Hospital. John Sealy, along with much of Galveston, was heavily damaged during Hurricane Ike. The regents are using the damage to justify plans to close down most of the hospital. The plans had already been made, with the Regents aiming to eliminate most clinical services and focus UTMB on research and education.

UTMB has announced the layoffs of about 3500 of its 12,000 employees. John Sealy hospital has been a crucial part of the regional and statewide health care safety net for 80 years. As a provider of quality health care to low income Texans, it filled a huge gap in the health care safety net. The hospital is especially important for the residents of Harris, Galveston, and other nearby counties, where it is the primary full-service acute care hospital for hundreds of thousands of residents.

More info: Elaine at Texas State Employees Union, 448-4225