Host: Schenectady Coalition for Healthcare Access

Ellis Hospital, located in Schenectady, is planning to merge with St. Peter’s Health Partners, a system that already includes Albany Memorial, St. Peter’s, and Samaritan Hospital. Community members and concerned citizens are encouraged to attend this forum to learn about the proposed partnership and its direct impact on residents and practitioners, along with steps they can take to make their voices heard in the process. There will be a panel of speakers and a Q&A. Topics to be discussed include the effects of religious restrictions on equitable access to care, solutions to gaps in services via other local providers, and the potential community benefits of a health care partnership. Register and submit questions for the panel here.

Speakers will include:

• Arthur Butler, Executive Director, Schenectady Human Rights Commission
• Nikita Hardy, Schenectady Human Rights Commission Commissioner and certified doula
• Glen Northern, Catholics for Choice US
• Michelle Ostrelich, Chair of the Schenectady County Legislature Health and Human Services Committee
• Dr. Debbie Stulberg, Family Practice Physician and researcher on the impact of religious restrictions on patients and doctors
• Lois Uttley, Women’s Health Program director at Community Catalyst and co-founder of Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need