DPR ALLOCUTION

Judge Rakoff, for 40 years I put every ounce of effort I had into what has evolved into the MediSys healthcare system - - which we me and my management team created. I took every opportunity available to

improve the quality of care to the largely indigent communities served by Jamaica Hospital, -- where I --

was hired in 1970 fresh out of graduate school,

and subsequently at Flushing Hospital and Brookdale Hospital. I tried with relentless persistence to rally other healthcare professionals and officials to recognize the plight of the safety net hospitals, -and the masses of medically underserved people who came to rely upon us and similarly situated safety net hospitals. Often I stood as a lone voice in the fight to assure access to care, and eliminate disparities in treatment for patients who deserved nothing less, in terms of facilities and services than what was available elsewhere in the region. Your Honor, I

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harbored no false expectations about ending poverty or resolving the myriad social issues; - but, the goal of providing resources necessary to at least partially balance the quality of care for the medically indigent was viable. It was more than a goal, -- it was a commitment, - an enduring social contract, - and I never deviated or grew tired from the pursuit. I am proud of the effect I have had on the public dialogue affecting safety net hospitals and access to care. I am proud of contributing to the creation of

the States bad debt and charity care pool in the early 1980s. I am proud of saving Jamaica Hospital

from closure -- and creating, with others, the program to rebuild it, and the dozen other safety net hospitals in this region that took advantage of what we so painstakingly created, and followed suit. I am proud of our world class trauma center which I strived to create; the more than one dozen

off-site healthcare clinics we built in some of the most abandoned sections of Queens and Brooklyn; the quality of the staff we attracted and retained; the substantial number of innovative and

programs and

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services we initiated to enhance healthcare and to stabilize devastated communities. I did this, Your Honor, because I believed. I

believed in the people of Queens and later Brooklyn. I believed that I could and must provide leadership at a time when the healthcare industry was in crisis and when few others would rise to the occasion. And I believed that without our efforts, --at our own facilities, and also elsewhere in the healthcare system, many people in great need would not have been served. These beliefs caused me to take on the extraordinary burden and the extra risks of resuscitating Flushing and Brookdale hospitals at the urgent appeals of others. With strenuous effort and

hard work we were successful in saving these institutions. I devoted myself to these endeavors, to the continuous detriment of my family. By the time that I was dismissed from MediSys, I had accrued some 40 weeks of unused vacation time, and ignored lucrative

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and certainly more prestigious opportunities at other organizations. I am immensely proud of what was achieved over the years, including the many facilities and structures we built, -- over one million square feet

of finished space. We raised employment from the 900 staff members I inherited in 1970, to the over ten thousand we employed when I was terminated. I am most proud of those employees who advanced and prospered, many from diverse backgrounds, and of the cadre of high quality professionals we were able to attract. I am also profoundly proud of my contributions to health care policy making. My beleaguered family has been a source of unstinting support; they have already suffered enormously on top of the sacrifices they made over the years. I am also fortunate to have the support of true friends, and many colleagues in the healthcare industry --including former competitors and adversaries, regulators, and others who worked in a similar capacity. I never stopped to think about whether others ultimately appreciated my persistent

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table pounding.

I was overwhelmed by the letters I hope you will consider them I hope that you

written on my behalf.

the truer mark of the man that I am.

will take into consideration the very public commitment I have made and carried out for four decades to people who cannot advocate for themselves,-- and to the health care industry, which continues to cleave into a two class system, - - much to my chagrin at a time when my voice can no longer be heard. I also hope you will consider my extensive history of assisting others at all levels, - - for encouraging and enabling others to develop professionally and out- perform expectations. For these reasons, I humbly ask for an opportunity to be returned to my family, and a chance to continue to make contributions to the public good from a community service platform.

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