Vigil for health care, social services and jobs
Hundreds of employees and consumers of city mental health and primary care clinics and human services held a vigil outside City Hall on Wed., Nov. 9. They protested harmful cuts, privatization and layoffs.
Progress Illinois: “If this budget passes in its current form there are going to be 500 city workers out in the cold,” said Henry Bayer, executive director of AFSCME Council 31. “There are going to be mentally ill citizens of this city left out in the cold. There are going to be thousands of others who rely on city services who are not going to get them and [be] left out in the cold. We are out here to build a little heat so no one gets left out in the cold.” full story
Coverage from Univision (in Spanish):
Tens of thousands of city residents rely on the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) for services essential to their health, safety and well-being.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s 2012 budget would:
- Close six of the 12 CDPH community Mental Health Clinics.
- Cut almost 200 positions in DFSS, jeopardizing programs for the elderly, homeless, at-risk kids and more.
- Privatize all seven of the City’s Neighborhood Health Clinics.
In addition, this budget will result in the layoff of hundreds of city employees during these tough economic times. CDPH and DFSS employees are proud of the services they provide to the city’s most vulnerable residents. They know from experience what these terrible cuts in service will mean to the people they serve. And they know how devastating the loss of their job would be for their families and communities.
Together we will tell aldermen to preserve vital services, save jobs and keep communities safe and strong!