May 28, 2019 Joint Senate and Assembly Hearing on the New York Health Act Hearing Room B Legislative Office Building Albany, NY 12248 Dear Senators and Assembly Members: As clergy and faith leaders from across New York State, we enthusiastically support the New York Health Act and call on you to pass this legislation this year. Each of our faiths holds in common a belief in the dignity of every human being. We also share the conviction that our society has a moral obligation to care for the most vulnerable among us and to ensure fairness in our economic and political institutions. As it says in the Hebrew Scriptures, "Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your neighbors, to the needy, and to the poor in your land.’" (Deuteronomy 15:11) Unfortunately our current healthcare system does not reflect these shared values. Approximately one million New Yorkers lack health insurance, and many more have limited coverage or high deductibles that prevent them from going to the doctor. Too often, getting lifesaving care means significant financial hardship - particularly for low and middle-income families. These inequities in our health care system are unnecessary and immoral. Providing comprehensive health care to every New York resident is not only possible, it would cost less. Most importantly, it would prevent needless suffering and death. How we care for the sick is one of the most basic tests of our society's character. New York can and must do better. We call on you to join the fight to pass the New laborreligion.org 800 Troy-Schenectady Rd. • Latham, NY 12110 • 518-213-6000 x6176 • @laborreligion York Health Act this year. Signed, 1. Rev. Andrea Abbott, Pastor, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Central Square, Baldwinsville 2. Rev. Amos Acree,Pastor, Western NY Area Churches in Covenant, Depew 3. Rev. Lesley Adams, Parish Priest Christ Episcopal Church, Willard 4. Sister Joan Agro, Sisters of St. Dominic, Orangeburg 5. Rev. Moira Ahearne, Pastor, Community Church, Lake Success 6. Rev. Joyce Allen, Ogden Hillcrest UMC, Endicott 7. Onleilove Alston, Prophetic Whirlwind, New York 8. Rev. Adrian Amaya, St. Mark the Evangelist Episcopal Church, Geddes 9. Dee Anderson, Elder, PCUSA, Dundee 10. Charlaine Apsel, Executive Director, Practical Resources for Churches, Mount Sinai 11. Rev. Earl Arnold, Pastor, Cayuga/Syracuse Presbytery, Mountain View 12. Rev. Jennifer Aull, Greenpoint Reformed Church, Brooklyn 13. Rabbi Guy Austrian, Fort Tryon Jewish Center, New York 14. Mrs. Lieve Bain, Spiritus Christi Church, Webster, NY 15. Rev. Linda Barnes, Blooming Grove United Church of Christ, Colchester 16. Rev. Erica Baron, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills, Kingston, NY 17. Rev. Sara Baron, First United Methodist Church of Schenectady, Schenectady 18. Father Luis Barrios, Holyrood Church/ Iglesia Santa Cruz, New York laborreligion.org 800 Troy-Schenectady Rd. • Latham, NY 12110 • 518-213-6000 x6176 • @laborreligion 19. Rabbi David Bauer, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, New York 20. Sister Rosemary Bellantoni, Sisters of St. Joseph, Kings Park 21. Rev. J. Brad Benson, Episcopal Church, St. Thomas, Bath 22. Rev. Dr. Alan Bentz-Letts, Retired, Flushing 23. Rabbi Leah Berkowitz, Vassar Temple, Poughkeepsie 24. Rev. Ashley Birt, Director of Christian Education, Rutgers Presbyterian Church, New York 25. Rev. Dr. Leonard Bjorkman, Presbyterian Church (USA), Stites 26. Rev. Lynn Carman Bodden, Interim Pastor, First Church in Albany, Albany 27. Ethan Bodnaruk, Religions for Peace, Syracuse 28. Rev. Dionne Boissière, Chaplain of the Church Center for the United Nations, United Methodist Women, New York 29. Pastor Roxanne Booth, Riverview Missionary Baptist Church, Selkirk, NY 30. Rev. Christopher Boyd, United Church of Christ 31. Rev. Karen Brammer, Unitarian Universalist, Yorktown 32. Rev. Dr. Theodore Brelsford, Jr., The Orchard Park Community Church, East Aurora 33. Rev. Richard Breuninger, Pastor, Retired, Upper NY Conf. UMC, Oneonta 34. Rev. Emily Brewer, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, Brooklyn 35. Minister Emeritus James Bridges, Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Rock Tavern, NY, Everett, NY 36. Rev. Lindsey Briggs, Church of the Heavenly Rest, New York 37. Rev. Lynn Brown, United Presbyterian Church of Amsterdam, NY, Amsterdam 38. Eileen Bruning, UCC Church of Huntington, Huntington , NY 39. Rev. Micah Bucey, Judson Memorial Church, New York laborreligion.org 800 Troy-Schenectady Rd. • Latham, NY 12110 • 518-213-6000 x6176 • @laborreligion 40. Rev. Gail Burger, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., Staatsburg, NY 41. Rev. Kent Busman, Reformed Church in America, Schenectady, NY 42. Rev. Donald Byers, Retired, Jamesville, NY 43. Sister Teresa Byrne, Ursuline Sisters, Malone 44. Sister Eleanor Carr, Sacred Heart, Albany 45. Rev. Dana Carroll, United Methodist Church, Schenectady 46. Rev. Mark Chaffin, Baptist Health System, Schenectady 47. Pastor James Childs, Pointe of Praise Family Life Center, Kingston, NY 48. Pastor Daniel Cho, HA:N UMC, Bronx, NY 49. Rev. G. Modele Clarke, New Progressive Baptist Church, Kingston, NY 50. Minister Peggy Clarke, First Unitarian Society of Westchester, Somers, NY 51. Rev. Joseph Cleveland, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Springs 52. Rev. John Collins, Memorial United Methodist, Schenectady 53. Rev. Paige Convis, Associate Minister, Kinderhook Reformed Church, Schodack 54. Cheryl Cook, CEO, Avodah, New York, NY 55. Rev. Peter Cook, New York State Council of Churches, Albany 56. Fr. Daniel Corrou, St. Francis Xavier parish, New York, NY 57. Rev. Aaron Cristaldi, Universal Life Church, Cottekill 58. Rev. William Critzman, The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, New York 59. Rev. Jennifer Crumpton, Femmevangelical, New York 60. Rev. Terry Culbertson, Church of God (Anderson, Ind), Syracuse 61. Rev. Marilyn Cunningham, Clergy Caucus Convener, RocActs, Rochester laborreligion.org 800 Troy-Schenectady Rd. • Latham, NY 12110 • 518-213-6000 x6176 • @laborreligion 62. Rabbi Matt Cutler, Congregation Gates of Heaven, Schenectady 63. Rev. Sandy Damhof, Journey United Church of Christ, Albany 64. George Dardess, Roman Catholic Deacon, Diocese of Rochester, Rochester 65. Carole Daugherty, Groton Community Church, Groton 66. Rev. Fred Davie, Executive Vice President, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, New York 67. Rev. Arthur Davis, United Church of Christ, Buffalo 68. Pamela Dayton, Seminarian, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, Alexander 69. Rev. Lindsey De Kruif, Reformed Church in America (RCA), Mechanicville 70. Rev. Robert Dean, Federated Church of Maine, NY, Maine 71. Rev. Kimberly Debus, First Universalist Church of Southold, Malta 72. Rev. Harold Delhagen, Northeast Synod of the Presbyterian Church (USA) 73. Rev. Kyle Delhagen, Western Presbyterian Church, Palmyra 74. Shayna DeLow, Cantor, Congregation Rodeph Sholom, New York 75. Dr. Francine Dempsey, Sisters of St. Joseph, Albany, NY 76. Mary Dewar, Garden City Community Church, Rosedale, NY 77. Rev. Jennifer DeWeerth, United Church of Christ, Kirkland 78. Rev. Robert Dievendorf, Pastor, UCC, Congregational, Arcade 79. Terry Diggory, Elder, Presbyterian--New England Congregational Church, Saratoga Springs 80. Rev. Kathy Donley, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Albany 81. Rev. Gary Doupe, United Methodist Pastor (retired), Upper NY Annual Conference, Bainbridge 82. Rabbi Paul Drazen, TAY - Syracuse 83. Rev. Paul Dreher-Wiberg, Pastor, St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Camillus laborreligion.org 800 Troy-Schenectady Rd. • Latham, NY 12110 • 518-213-6000 x6176 • @laborreligion 84. Rev. Calvyn du Toit, DRC, New York 85. Barbara Dworkin, Board Member, Interfaith Alliance of NYS, Schenectady 86. Kathleen Eagan, Sisters of St. Joseph, Albany, NY 87. Rev. James Eaton, Pastor, First Congregational Church of Albany 88. Rev. John Ekman, Presbyterian retired, Greenfield Center 89. Rev. Khader El-Yateem, Salam Arabic Lutheran Church, New York 90. Rev. Dr. Clyde Embling, CASTILE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, Warsaw 91. Rev. Robert Emerick, Pastor, Bay Ridge United Methodist Church, Brooklyn 92. Rev. E.J. Emerson, Pastor, New Utrecht Reformed Church, Monroe Township 93. Rabbi Rachel Esserman, The Reporter Group, Endwell 94. Rev. Norman Evans, Binghamton 95. Reverend Jill Farnham-Us, Interfaith Coalition of Greater Utica, Herkimer, NY 96. Rabbi Michael Feinberg, Executive Director, Greater New York Labor- Religion Coalition, New York 97. Rabbi Brian Fink, JCC Manhattan, New York 98. Mary-Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Director of Community life, Church of Gethsemane, Brooklyn 99. Rev. Paul Fleck, Chair, New York Annual Conference Board of Church & Society of The United Methodist Church, New York 100. Rev. Dr. Robert Foltz-Morrison, Presbytery of New York City, New York 101. Rev. Kate Forer, Senior Pastor, Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church, Saratoga Springs 102.Pastor Allyn Foster, Orchard Park Presbyterian Church, Orchard Park, NY 103. Rev. Jan Fritzinger, Pastor, Reformed Church of Beacon, Poughkeepsie 104. Rev. Dan Fullerton, Hudson River Presbytery, Ossining 105. Sister Joyce Gadoua, Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Cohoes laborreligion.org 800 Troy-Schenectady Rd. • Latham, NY 12110 • 518-213-6000 x6176 • @laborreligion 106. Rev. David Gaewski, Conference Minister, New York Conference United Church of Christ, DeWitt 107. Rev. James Galasinski, Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton, NY, Canton 108. Rabbi Jeffrey Gale, Hebrew Tabernacle, Hempstead 109. Rev. Ron Garner,