FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Theresa Petry, (314) 807-7077
Carnahan All Talk –No Action While Jobs are Cut in His Own District.
(ST. LOUIS, MO.) Feb. 10, 2010 – Forest Park Hospital announced today it will cut 268 full-time jobs in April. The jobs, to becut, range from nurses and technicians to office and housekeeping. The affected employees received a notice for termination of employment today. The notice states that “due to these difficult economic conditions a severance package will not be provided.”
The cuts come as Forest Park Hospital merges with St. Alexius Hospital -both located in Missouri’s 3rd District. The hospitals say the merger was a must citing a drop in patients, mounting debt and declining Medicaid reimbursements.
According to the St. Louis Business Journal changes made in January to Missouri’s federal Medicaid reimbursement is expected to reduce the reimbursement payments to the two hospitals by $24 million over the next two years. “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Janet Conners, spokeswoman for the hospitals. (St. Louis Business Journals, Feb. 10, 2010)
Congressman Russ Carnahan has a record of voting in favor of Medicaid extensions. Where was he when all of this was happening? He sure wasn’t taking a stand for the people in his own district – the 268 people that as of April 11th will be searching for a new job.
Sure Congressman Carnahan talks about a “Comprehensive approach to creating jobs” but doesn’t take any action to even keep jobs in his own district. He boasts on his website that he held a regional jobs summit for the 3rd District. He talks about how “we need to come together to examine our own situation and determine our economic strengths and weaknesses…” But he would have to step out of his liberal Pelosi –Reid circle in Washington to do that. And he has proven that unless it is a photo opportunity he has no interest. He posed for pictures at the jobs summit and surely shook hands with a few folks. Did he stop and listen to them? Does he plan to lend an ear to the 268 folks soon to be out of a job in his district?
As if those job cuts weren’t bad enough it comes on the heels of Lambert Airport, announcing this week, it too will see job losses. American Airlines says it plans to make service cuts at the airport which will result in some 150 workers being laid off. The job cuts are expected to take place in the beginning of April.
Again where is Congressman Carnahan? On his website he clearly states, “We need to make strategic investments in things that we know are strong job creators, like transportation…” Lambert did in fact invest billions of dollars, taxpayer dollars, to renovate and expand the airport. In a release from Lambert, you can see a representative from Carnahan’s office toasting the opening of a new French café and other dining venues at the airport. Too bad those new venues aren’t bursting with business. Much of the expansion is not even being used as the airport’s services dwindle. Congressman Carnahan is nothing but talk and a photo opportunity.
3rd District Congressional candidate Ed Martin listens to the needs of the people in his district. Just last week Martin held a Jobs Town Hall in Festus where he listened to and took questions from almost every single person who attended. And on January 18thhe held a Town Hall on Healthcare with more than 450 attendees. The meeting went longer than the allotted three hours to allow all those who wanted to speak to be heard. Carnahan was invited to attend but never responded to the invitation. It seems the Congressman ignores everyone not in his inner Washington circle or who doesn’t have a camera. Well smile Congressman Carnahan the people of the 3rd District are watching you.
For more information about Martin’s background and the campaign, visit EdMartinforCongress.com, or follow him on Facebook and Twitter @ed4congress.
Paid for by “Ed Martin for Congress”
Randy McArthur, Treasurer
Theresa Petry
Press Secretary
“Ed Martin for Congress”
(314) 807-7077 (cell)
theresa.petry@edmartinforcongress.com
