More than 100 Hudson Valley health care workers for Summit Health and Optum are speaking out and calling for changes. "The members are not feeling heard, not being respected," says Angela Lane, vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. "This is corporate going into health care where it doesn't need to be." Members of union 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East are raising concerns about these two corporations and they want to see changes to health benefits, patient care and management.

"One thing when it comes to the patient care, you feel more the push, push, push, move faster, see more, get them in, get them out, where a lot of our providers have left," says Sima Zaba, an urgent care RN. In 2022, Summit Health announced a partnership with Westmed facilities across Westchester. At the same time, Optum was continuing to expand in the area. "All the locals were bought out by this corporate conglomerate," says Lane. Both Optum and Summit Health sent News 12 statements.

"We remain dedicated to advancing health care in the Hudson Valley and are grateful to serve this community. We understand the frustrations some of our patients have been experiencing and are working to make necessary improvements, as we value the long-standing relationships we have with our patients," says Dr. Jonathan Nasser, president and regional chief medical officer, Optum Medical Care. "We’re enhancing our telephone systems, billing processes and appointment availability with dedicated teams responsible for scheduling and supporting medication refills and clinical questions. We have intensified our physician recruitment efforts and have added a new digital portal as another channel to help patients manage their health care and improve their experience. We look forward to continuing to work with Representative Ryan and policymakers at all levels of government to achieve our common goals."

"We are in active conversations with the 1199 Union and bargaining committee to best support our New York North team members. These negotiations take a great deal of time as we try to find the best path forward without disrupting care," says Summit Health. "Our current pay and health benefits are competitive with the market. We are proud of our physician-led practice and we will continue to deliver high-quality, compassionate care for our community. Thank you for reaching out.