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tv   [untitled]    March 3, 2011 2:08am-2:38am PST

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martin. they are very proactive. the other thing i would say is a think it is critical that lyon- martin for many reasons. one is that there will not turn you away if you are unable to pay. and that is an attitude that they are clear about their. -- there. it is not as clear in other city-funded health care situations. the community has done all it can. we raised a lot of money. please give us some money. [laughter] supervisor mirkarimi: next speaker, please. >> my name is nikki bass. i am a patient at lyon-martin and have been treated there since 2009. prior to that, i spent five
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years going from a clinic to clinic attempting to find treatments that addressed when medical situation. during this time, i was given different forms of medication my body could not tolerate. i would always wind up being told either you tolerate the medication are you do not, and there is nothing to do. i was told it was in my mind and was given a prescription for anti-depressant. i heard things about lyon- martin, and i found there were unlike any medical facility i have ever been in. i am comparing it to hundreds of doctors' offices in medical facilities. the medical providers at lyon- martin took a time to get a handle on my history and explore possibilities of experiments with alternative medications. they started with low-dose topical medications and hoped i would tolerate it better. after some experimentation, i
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was able to tolerate the medication and move forward with the treatment that address my condition. i was not deemed crazy or given in the depressants due to intolerance to medications. i was treated as a whole person, with respect. i have made a great deal of progress after bouncing from clinic to clinic for years. lyon-martin was like treasure falling out of the sky. in conclusion, it has become a safe harbor in my life, both figuratively and literally, as well as a pathway to a whole and healthy life. if they were forced to close, i would feel my physical and emotional health would be in serious jeopardy. thank you very much for your time. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. >> my name is ron the jacobson -- ronnie jackobson. lyon-martin is like family i
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have needed since i lived here. they have given me the extra push i needed, whether it because care for a cold or care for my ex partner who transitioned with the help of land martin. i got a job and continued to university. the staff was always so open and generous to helping you reach my goals. outside of being concerned with my professional goals, i think they saw me as an investment. as a person who wanted to provide care for career and transgendered folks, i was able to get a scholarship for the work i did at lyon-martin, which was able to help me pay necessary school fees. i was able to get some much experience as a medical
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assistant. i am now unemployed. i am relying on lyon-martin as my health care provider. i cannot imagine going anywhere else. even if i have health insurance, i would not want to go anywhere else. i had a provider lift an eyebrow at meet in the middle of a pelvic exam for who i was and what my sexual practices were. that would never happen at lyon- martin. supervisor mirkarimi: i would like to read some more names. lisa neumann, john morgan, ronnie evanson. >> i am sick, so i am sorry. i want to cut everything that has been said. i have been a patient for about three years.
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the language of a medical home in san francisco is exemplified by lyon-martin. it is the only place i have ever gone consistently. i can walk in and they know my name. it is not just for my community, but it is run by my community. it was not a big surprise when we found out it was good to get closed down. every single person i know mobilized. i know people around the world. we have gotten money and messages of support from people in israel, people in europe and south america, people i did not know cared about me and my community. i want to echo that it is an international resource. i have several close friends who have literally had their life saved by treatment from lyon- martin. a friend was not only diagnosed, but guided through treatment
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for cervical cancer. another friend who had the same situation with breast cancer, and a third friend who had a heart condition the would never have known about, because they did not want to go to the doctor anywhere else -- it is something i think a lot of doctors would have missed as well. i wanted to say that. i also want to say as a community member i am committing to not actually letting lyon- martin get into this situation again. if the city gives us this money, we as a community are going to change the way these things are run and this is not want to happen again. it is an investment. i think you so much for having this hearing today. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker, please. >> my name is lisa neumann. i am an ssi recipient and a
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behavioral health and cognitive care client of lyon-martin. i identify with the s.e.c. said was assigned at birth. before lyon-martin, i received adequate care at san francisco general hospital. in 2005, and left the county briefly. when i returned, i could not access health care. it became a full-time job to try to do this. i was referred to lyon-martin and by my friend and neighbor, and i became a client within one week. now i receive exceptional care. lyon-martin did save my life. it was in really bad shape when i got there. since i have been there, my health and my life have stabilized a lot.
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also, i have received a referral from lyon-martin to community vocational enterprises. i am currently in a work adjustment situation with the san francisco health department. that is after being out of work since 1999 due to health issues. lyon-martin -- it seems like it would take very little to help get lyon-martin back on track. if it does, it will really help a lot of people. otherwise, they will not have that help. i agree with ms. russo. i do not believe i would be able to find another care provider if lyon-martin, and i simply will not go to the frustration. i will go back to relying on emergency room services and be in crisis mode. please grant their request for
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financial assistance. supervisor mirkarimi: think you. next speaker, please. >> i am the director of access of love community center, which holds a low-income and trans women's health group. i have been the guardian of that for 10 years. i stand in solidarity with many of the statements made today. i simply do not know where else we would be able to send some of the clients of axes of love who have health concerns without this resource being available. i was a prior client of lyon- martin. as a low-income woman, i do not have health care and do not know where transgendered women are going to be able to find the health care that is necessary and culturally appropriate.
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i would really like the supervisors to see this as an investment in our city. if we lose health care and health care that is utilized by career women and low-income women, and women without health care, we are looking at a lot of families being impacted, women, mothers, and care givers. this affect the entire san francisco community. for us not to invest in the preserving of a very important tradition of health care, we really lose out in san francisco. it will impact many other public services. i am very concerned, because every day we hear of another women's health issue being closed. there is nothing else that we can do that invests in our communities and protect women. thank you for calling this hearing. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you.
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next speaker, please. >> i am here as a staff member of the community against violence. we were founded to protect survivors of domestic violence and hate violence. the majority of our clients are low-income lgbt people, for many of whom lyon-martin is the sole provider of mental and physical health care. what you hear today is just a sliver of the panic growing in our community. in the past few years of a decreasing safety net and increasing economic crisis, a significant portion of lgbt adults in this city will be complete without health care. the panic you hear today is real. this is not just about lyon- martin. this issue and you will stepping up to support lyon-martin is a
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question of what you want san francisco to be. where do we invest our resources? what we see in agencies closing like new leaf is the rollback of feminist and civil-rights movements which say we need culturally-specific and competent health care. the need for that health care has not changed over the past 30 years. we see as the economic crisis continues it is disproportionately hitting low- income lgbt people. if lyon-martin does close, we are looking forward to a future with skyrocketing rates of domestic violence and substance abuse. i am asking as a member of the anti-domestic violence community to stand on the right side of this. we are going to look back and lyon-martin is going to be a critical moment in our history. i am asking you to step up on behalf of all of us. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you.
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next speaker, please. >> thank you for holding this meeting. it is so important. my name is dr. barney -- ronnie eversley. i am in mental health care provider. i am a member of the african american health committee and the naacp health task force. this is kind of a shocking time for me, having to come and defend getting my own health care, being a health-care activist and advocate. in 2006, i lost my health insurance due to my funding at ucsf, which is mostly soft money funding from teaching, dropping below 50%. it was a crisis and dramatic
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time, because i had also just received a suspicious mammogram result and needed follow-up care quickly to determine whether or not i had breast cancer. i transferred my care from the uc faculty practice over to lyon-martin, and the care that i received was excellent. i luckily did not have cancer. it took a number of tests to determine that. since then, i have remained with the clinic, just for my follow- up care and keeping my blood pressure under control, keeping my weight under control, and not being judged for it. there are so many ways that might care -- my care is the highest quality possible in the private or public sector. think again. i hope you guys can help us out.
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supervisor mirkarimi: before the next speaker comes up, i am going to read the remainder of the cards i have. if i have not call your name and you want to speak, please file to the middle of the aisle and come one after the other. claire bowman, yolande soler, and cynthia crews. >> my name is rick haupman. i have been active in public policy and politics in san francisco for most of my 38 years. this month, i celebrate my 30- year anniversary with the harvey milk lgbt democratic club. although i have been active in san francisco politics for almost 30 years, i have rarely appeared before you. i am here today because of the monumental importance of the issue before you. i am a long-time friend appear
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of phyllis lyons and del martin, for the clinic was named. this clinic provides services to the disenfranchised and disaffected community. it is incumbent upon all of us to keep it open. lucky for me, i am participating in the community -- in the committee that has just raised more than $320,000. with your help, we will be able to keep this enormously important clinic open. a society is best judged by how it treats those among us who are the least fortunate. this is a very important clinic, and i hope to do everything in your power to keep it open. thank you very much. >> mining is clear bowman. i just got a call from a friend of mine who is having a fund-
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raiser to raise money for a surgery she is able to get because of lyon-martin. i wanted to come in today and talk about how lyon-martin provides critical services to district 6 and san francisco. i have worked for over five years as a community organizer and mental health worker in san francisco. these services are much needed. women and transgendered folks in district 6 regularly use these services. lyon-martin is critical to the needs of the career and trans community in san francisco. virtually all career folks have a story of discrimination at the hands of a health-care provider. as uninsured career years, and went to dimension -- uninsured queer youth, lyon-martin was the place i would have gone. i can personally testify to the depths to which these services are needed. look at how much money we have
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unable to raise in the last month. this is an economic crisis, when people are so strapped. we have been able to come up with so much money. a thing that drives home how much needed the services are. lyon-martin is a leader in the women and trans health-care movement in the united states. lyon-martin -- clinics across the country look to them for leadership. this is a critical time when there is a national attack on women's health care in the united states against planned parenthood. i think it is important to continue to fund services like lyon-martin. from being able to see a doctor for a cold to receiving life- saving mental health services, from a testosterone shot for my lover to an internship to my brother, lyon-martin is a part of my community and a part of my family. i hope you will do what you can to keep the clinic open. i know we will. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you.
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>> mining is cynthia crews -- my name is cynthia crews. i am involved in some of the fund-raising. as much as i love volunteering, i could never actually rise to the level of volunteering and involvement that the community of "save lyon-martin" has been doing. it is incredible. these people have jobs. they love to see this clinic open. they cannot see it close. what i am doing here today as a straight sets gendered -- cisgendered woman is speaking for the people involved in this community that cannot see this clinic close. a very close friend, who i am speaking for today, who did not have a voice and was at two clinics and did not find a home until she found her medical home
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at lyon-martin -- your assistance, a bridge loan, whatever can be done to help lyon-martin, i ask you to do that today. thank you for your support. please know that we have raised so much money. the rest really needs to come from san francisco and the state of california. we need your help. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. if there is any other public comment, please line up in the aisle and come up. >> my name is yolanda soliz. i am a patient at lyon-martin. i am here because i want to support them. about a couple of years ago, i had a very said time in my life. it made me realize how privileged i was before. it is good now, but i did not
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realize how much i had. since this thing happened, it happened that i needed help from people. i am glad i lived in this city which has a very strong community and has helped me a lot. if recommended this. as a consequence of what happened, i came with financial problems, physical issues, and psychological problems. the really good friend of mine recommended me to lyon-martin. they have helped me a lot with everything. i always respected me and motivated me to do things, and they still do. i am a patient. this week, i am going to see them. it was very professional, very caring. i really needed them, and i
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still need them. not only me. i know other people who rely on them. this is my first time i have spoken in public. but i needed to do it because they have been there for me and i want to be there for them. please help them. thank you. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. next speaker, please. this is the last public comment, if nobody else wants to step up. >> thank you so much for having us. mining is vanessa pratt -- my name is been suppressed. i have worked at the clinic for a year-and-a-half. i have worked on the administrative side of the clinic, looking at money and budgets and how these services work together. i would like to speak briefly to the fact that -- the economic side of this, given that you are the budget committee. we all know that patients, when
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the clinic closes, do not stop needing health care. they definitely continue to need it. because they may not have a primary care provider lined up broadway, -- wind up right away, and may never want to go to another, they will delay until the end up in the er. er care costs exorbitantly more than primary-care. if you are looking at an economic argument for keeping the clinic open, it really is cheaper. it really can be cheaper to keep us open then to close us down, to have to transfer care for our patients. of course, there is an ethical and moral argument as well. people die when cannot close. people kill themselves when the clinic closes. that should be said and has been said.
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i want to drive home the fact that these patients will end up costing the city money. if we can't predict it now because we do not know how they will use the system -- but i would very assuredly are you there will cost far more -- argue they will cost far more than they do today. they do for your time and support. supervisor mirkarimi: thank you. this will now close public comment. we synchronized that well. i want to thank everybody for your participation in the hearing today. first, i would like to extend and _ our compliments -- and underscore our compliments to the community that has come out in masse for your creative
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eloquence and loyalty in rallying to the cause of saving lyon-martin health clinic. i want to thank the department of public health. i want to thank the consortium for their professionalism and for their ability to dispatch, as best as they possibly could, with a very constructive -- constrictive time perimeter, in working with the directors of the lyon-martin health clinic. we want to thank lyon-martin for being cooperative in doing everything you can to avert a crisis. in my opinion, and i do not believe i am alone, i think many
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here in the elected family would see this as a profound loss, devastating, if lyon-martin health clinic or to close. the expressed intent of today's hearing was just that, a hearing, because we have not been able to conduct a forum because we did not have empirical data until this point. we did not have the data we have been waiting for. that way, there is at least some financial assessment and policy assessment as to how we got into the position we are in and what we can do to make sure this position and reality is not repeated. now that we have gone through that, this now informs and enables electeds like myself to come to this conclusion. i will go out on a limb here,
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but i do not think it is unpredictable that it would be a complete and unconscionable posture of our part if we did not, i think, step forward, should lyon-martin be in a position of still needing some financial assistance by the city and county of san francisco, to not do our part to be able to help provide that assistance, should the need arise. department of public health and the city family is right to exhibit some of the tough love and some of the conditions would be obligated so that prices would be averted, and there would be conditions to make sure that any of the evan district of or governments -- any of the governance this function would
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repeat itself. that does not disprove that lyon-martin serves a population that is of special importance to any of us who recognize the role it plays in serving 2500 patience -- patients, that is culturally competent, that is class reverse -- diverse, and that makes us all proud, city and county wide, as it is well recognized both in california and nationally, and by signs of support, internationally. everybody has come here today with i think a really outspoken desire to make sure we do everything we possibly can to save lyon-martin. that demonstrates the political will and intent that we leave
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this hearing in formed and empowered with a strategy. but that strategy also has to be shouldered by the clinic and by the community. as we heard, there is an hourglass. there is a pendulum up until march 31. that is not something to take lightly, despite all the good efforts, and i mean very impressive efforts. we have been to a number of the fund-raisers. i have to tell you it makes me proud to be a san franciscan. when i see lines around the block at any of the events and the town halls, it reminds me that we are san francisco, and we are no stranger to crisis. and yet we have been able to navigate these moments before. when i see the level of turn out that i have seen in community and here in city hall,it