In the August 15 Baltimore Business Journal article, “Health care union blasts UMMS over finances,” comments made by Mary Lynn Carver, spokeswoman for the University of Maryland Medical System, may mislead readers to believe that UMMS receives no money from the state.
In fact, in addition to receiving 58 percent of its patient revenues from public sources (Medicare and Medicaid combined), UMMS receives millions from the state in operating funds and for capital improvements, which competing Maryland hospital systems do not receive. For example, for just FY 2012, UMMS received $3.2 million in operations support for Shock Trauma, $29.8 million for construction costs and equipment purchases and $750,000 for capital support for Kernan.
UMMS is an instrumentality of the state and its executives must be held accountable for their financial stewardship. The nurses and caregivers of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East want every dollar prioritized for frontline patient care, versus laying off workers or gambling it away with risky financial schemes that result in debt.
Vanessa Johnson
Vice President-at-Large
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
