SAN CARLOS, Calif., May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Environmental organizations including Green Action for Health and Environmental Justice and Clean Water Action are expressing deep concerns about an announcement today by hospital giant Sutter Health to build a new hospital on a toxic site in San Carlos. Last week, a report was released that details a host of highly toxic and other environmentally dangerous substances that have been identified on the site. The groups are concerned that corporate giant Sutter, would consider building a hospital on a toxic waste site and near other pollution sources -- and that they continue to put their corporate profit-making interests ahead of the health care needs of the public. Even more egregious is the fact that patients, especially those with compromised immune systems, would potentially be at risk for added health issues as a result of being exposed to possibly environmentally unsafe conditions. Sutter health care workers would have the greatest risk because of the long-term exposure they would have by working in and around an unsafe facility.
Three reports in particular, prepared by Environmental Data Resources and furthered reviewed by scientists from Green Environmental, Inc., clearly reveal the presence of hazardous materials that have been used and stored on the proposed hospital site. The hazardous materials include: acids, alkalines, cyanides, metals, lubricants, chlorinated solvents, flammable solvents and oxidizers. Chemicals that were stored were in aboveground and underground storage tanks. In addition to the onsite issues, the report further reveals that several sites in the immediate vicinity of the proposed hospital site are reported as having releases of petroleum products and/or solvents and/or groundwater as well as the existence of air emissions of organic hydrocarbons and reactive organic gases.
"We are greatly concerned about the possibility that Sutter Health would build a hospital to make people healthy on top of toxic contamination that could make people sick," said Karl Krupp, Community Health Advocate for Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice. "Sutter Health needs to find a safer location that does not put the community, patients and health care workers at risk," Krupp added.
Headquartered in Sacramento, Sutter Health is the 10th largest hospital chain in the nation and the largest system in Northern California. It operates 26 hospitals across Northern California and just recently posted an annual profit of $465 million in 2003, compared to profits of $284 million in 2002. That's a profit margin of close to 7%, while most non-profit hospitals have an operating margin around 2-3%. Advocacy groups have charged that Sutter has come by these profits through questionable business practices, and CalPers has threatened to drop Sutter Hospitals from their list of providers due to overcharging for patient services.
"Prevention is the cornerstone of the medical profession, which make Sutter's decision to pursue the construction of a hospital on such an environmentally-compromised site all the more surprising. Reason tells us that preventing future health risks by siting a medical facility in a safe location should be the only possible solution," said Lena Brook, Interim California Director at Clean Water Action in San Francisco.
The environmental groups are demanding that Sutter "come clean" with any and all information they have about the location. The groups are also urging that community meetings and forums be held so that the public can be fully informed about the issue and the serious health threats that Sutter's new hospital construction would present.
Greenaction works with urban, rural, desert and indigenous communities in campaigns for health and environmental justice.
Clean Water Action's (CWA) California program, founded in 1990, works for clean, safe and affordable water, prevention of health-threatening pollution, and empowerment of people to make democracy work. CWA organizes strong grassroots coalitions, and campaigns to protect our environment, health, economic well being and community quality of life.
SEIU 250CONTACT: Karl Krupp, +1-415-248-5010 or Lena Brook, +1-415-369-9160,both of SEIU 250
Web site: http://www.seiu250.org/