"The civil rights movement represents one of the most important times in our nation's history. The courage and leadership of civil rights leaders paved the way for our nation to truly advance. Unfortunately, with each passing year, our nation loses more and more of these pioneers. In recent years, we lost Mrs. Coretta Scott King and Mrs. Rosa Parks. Thankfully, their stories have been preserved in history for future generations.

"I have recently introduced legislation that would help preserve the priceless memories from the civil rights movement. My bill, The Civil Rights History Act, stresses the importance of capturing the memories and deeds of the civil rights generation.

"In conjunction with the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Library of Congress, the bill seeks to collect oral histories of individuals who experienced the civil rights movement so future generations will be able to learn of their struggle and sacrifice from primary source eyewitness material. While we know so much about the leaders/individuals in the Civil Rights Movement, such as Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Thurgood Marshall, it is important that we learn about everyday people of all races who took a stand during a tumultuous and pivotal time in our nation's history. The participants in the civil rights movement possess an invaluable resource in their firsthand memories of the movement, and the recording of the retelling of their stories and memories will provide a rich detailed history of a courageous time in our nation's history."

Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, along with Kenneth Raske, president of the Greater NY Hospital Association; Kevin Dahill, executive vice president of the Healthcare Association of NYS as well as CEO/president of the Nassau/Suffolk Hospital Council; John O'Connell, president/CEO of the Health & Welfare Council of LI; and representatives from area hospitals held a press conference Feb. 26 to discuss the devastating impact of President Bush's budget on hospitals on Long Island and throughout New York State.

Under President George Bush's budget request, LI hospitals will lose over $531 million in Medicare and Medicaid funding over the next five years. New York State is set to lose over $7.5 billion in the same period. "These cuts will devastate the health care system in New York," said McCarthy. "At a time when costs are skyrocketing and the number of uninsured is rising, the health care system deserves more attention and funding. The president has made a terrible mistake in his budget request."

The proposed budget cuts will force hospitals to cut services and will make health care less accessible for Long Island residents.

According to Dahill, "Our hospitals simply cannot survive them and will be forced to close programs and eliminate services that Long Islanders depend upon. Administrators at each of Long Island's 24 not-for-profit and public hospitals will have to make tough decisions about what stays and what goes, as well as what staff reductions will be needed."

New York's 2.5 million uninsured will find it hard to purchase health insurance under the president's budget. "President Bush proposes to drastically reduce Medicaid, Medicare and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). These changes will increase the number of the nation's uninsured," said O'Connell. "It is tragically embarrassing that the president would propose to address one of the nation's most pressing domestic problems by ensuring greater access to health care for the most healthy and wealthy and restricting access to the nation's hard-working families who have no alternatives."

The cuts will have an equally devastating effect across New York State. "President Bush's proposed Medicare and Medicaid cuts would severely harm New York's teaching and community hospitals," said Raske. "These cuts will slash institutions that are already struggling financially, and could adversely impact patient care."

Congress will have an opportunity to restore funding during the budget process. According to McCarthy, "I will do everything in my power to fund our hospitals and ensure patients on Long Island and across the state have access to quality medical care. These cuts simply cannot go through."