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Weinberg Urges Mayor Zimmer To Stand Up In Support Of Women’s Health

State Senator Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, the Chairwoman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, explains during a Statehouse news conference how cuts in charity care will result in more pressure on New Jersey hospitals, less services, more hospital closures, and higher premiums on people who have health insurance and subsidize care for those who do not.
Loretta Weinberg News & Releases

TRENTON – In a letter sent yesterday to Dawn Zimmer, State Senator Loretta Weinberg urged the Hoboken Mayor to stand with a bipartisan group of elected officials in support of women’s health and family planning funds, and to ask her to help convince Governor Christie of the value of these programs to New Jerseyans in need.

“Despite the Governor’s recent remarks on New Jersey 101.5, access to women’s health is not about playing politics,” said Senator Weinberg, D-Bergen, the chairwoman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “By defunding women’s health and family planning programs Statewide, he’s limiting access for real women in communities like Hoboken. I hope Mayor Zimmer and other elected officials who appear to have a good relationship with the Governor will stand with us in support of women’s health funds, and help convince the Governor to do the right thing and restore these funds.”

Governor Chris Christie cut $7.5 million in State funding for women’s health centers and family planning clinics in his FY 2010 Budget, and has refused to support multiple attempts to restore funds and direct the State to apply for federal matching funds to ensure women in need have access to basic health services. According to Senator Weinberg, the Governor has repeatedly said that his objection to women’s health funding was based on fiscal concerns, but a recent influx in income tax revenues, and revelations that budget lines Senator Weinberg identified last year for these programs were overfunded, make the Governor’s fiscal concerns a moot point.

The funds in question would be used to provide access to breast cancer screening, pap tests and gynecological exams, STD testing and treatment, HIV testing, pre- and post-natal care, and contraceptives, among other basic health services.

According to a systemwide analysis on the impact of the Governor’s cuts to women’s health care, access to health care would be reduced in Hudson County. As a result of the Governor’s cuts, Hoboken Family Planning centers estimate that they will be able to serve 700 fewer clients this year, and have been forced to lay off four employees, including two of the three education and outreach staff members. Additionally, the Bayonne Women’s Health Center, operated by the city’s health department, was forced to close down in April after losing 70 percent of its funding. The closure of the Bayonne Women’s Health Center would force 1,400 women to look elsewhere for care.

“Mayor Zimmer should recognize that the Governor’s cuts have an impact in her community,” said Senator Weinberg. “Despite the Governor’s claims to the contrary, the health care safety net cannot absorb the thousands of women being turned away at underfunded women’s health centers, and the end result is going to be ridiculously long waits for care at the remaining clinics and emergency rooms which cater to the uninsured or working poor. I hope Mayor Zimmer will consider taking a public stand in favor of restoring women’s health care funds, and work with elected officials on either side of the political divide to convince the Governor to undo the damaging cuts to women’s health and family planning programs in New Jersey.”

Click here to read a copy of Senator Weinberg’s letter to Mayor Zimmer on Women’s Health Funding.

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Weinberg To Assembly GOP: If You Really Care About Women’s Health, Then Actually Do Something About It

TRENTON — Senator Loretta Weinberg, sponsor of legislation to reverse the governor’s cuts to women’s health and family planning programs, today criticized the laundry list of Assembly Republicans who have been dribbling out press releases throughout the day trumpeting their sponsorship of a budget resolution that purports to restore funding, yet would do nothing to alleviate the current crisis in women’s health care.

24 Jun 2011
Weinberg Reintroduces Women’s Health Funding Bill

TRENTON – Senator Loretta Weinberg, the Chairwoman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee and a leading voice in the State Legislature to reverse Governor Christie’s cuts to women’s health and family planning programs in New Jersey, today reintroduced legislation to fund these programs in the FY 2012 Budget.

“Since last year, every time we’ve brought up the issue of funding for women’s health care, we were told that the money wasn’t there,” said Senator Weinberg, D-Bergen. “Of course, we’ve since learned that the money was always there, and that accounts we identified to fund these programs during last year’s budget deliberations are running a surplus this year which would have more than paid for the Governor’s cuts. With more than $900 million coming into the State through increased income tax collections, there’s no excuse – short of conservative political ideology – not to fund women’s health care and family planning now.”

19 May 2011
Sweeney Statement On Sen. Weinberg’s Reintroduction Of Women’s Healthcare Funding Bill

TRENTON – Senate President Steve Sweeney today welcomed Senator Loretta Weinberg’s reintroduction of legislation to restore critical funding for women’s healthcare, in light of the spike in state revenues that would allow the governor’s budget cut to be reversed before more clinics are forced to close their doors. Under his authority, the Senate President placed the bill immediately on second reading and scheduled a Senate floor vote on the measure for Monday:

The Senate President issued the following statement:

Weinberg-Greenstein-Vitale Women’s Health Funding Bill Advances In Senate

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Loretta Weinberg, Linda Greenstein and Joseph F. Vitale which would reverse the Governor’s cuts to women’s health and family planning programs in New Jersey and require the State to apply for federal matching funds for Medicaid-eligible women was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 26-13.

“Funding access to basic health services for women in need is an issue that cuts to the very heart and soul of what government is supposed to be about,” said Senator Weinberg, D-Bergen, and chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “The Governor’s funding cut of women’s health care in the last budget demonstrated that he’s willing to put socially conservative political ideology ahead of the health and safety of women in New Jersey. With the announcement earlier this month of a multi-million dollar revenue increase coming into the State, there’s simply no reason to continue to leave women without access to health care in the Garden State.”

“Whether you’re talking about blood pressure screening, cancer screening, family planning, STD testing and pre- and post-natal care, you’re talking about services which aren’t just important to women, but to their families as well,” said Senator Greenstein, D-Mercer and Middlesex. “Particularly as New Jersey’s families are struggling with increased unemployment, reduced employee benefits and lower salaries as a result of the recession, we need to maintain our commitment to funding women’s health care access for those in need. This bill is about our priorities as a state, and ensures that we will not forget women’s health when women and their families are struggling to make ends meet.”

23 May 2011