Dan Strahinich

Dan StrahinichVice-President

This is a significant legislative initiative that will make a real difference in the lives of many families in Connecticut , said Dan Strahinich , Political Action Director for District 1199.Beyond the 1500 on the waiting list , we know there are many people who don't even know of the services that could be available to them.We need to do outreach , particularly in the minority communities that we know are under-served..

Union members are appearing in a series of television commercials and on billboards on major highways asking the public and the state to make quality health care a top priority in Connecticut.One of the five 30-second commercials focuses on the need for enhancing mental retardation services in both the public and private sector.

"We aren't growing our own, taking care of our [current nurses] or competing for new recruits," said Dan Strahinich, political director of District 1199 of the New England Health Care Employees Union.

According to Dan Strahinich, vice president of District 1199, the union that represents the state employees working in the residential programs, it's not about the jobs -- the employees would be transferred to other state facilities -- it's about the clients' care.

"There are good people working in the private sector, but they are grossly under-funded and the turnover rate is high.When a private provider can't take in a patient, a state residential program could.Without us as a last resort, they will end up in the hospital, in jail or on the streets," Strahinich said.

The legislative panel unanimously said it opposed the proposed cut, but state Rep.

Other participants include Barbara Everett, head of the Canadian Mental Health Association in Ontario; Mike Ryan, acting warden of Kingston Penitentiary; Helen Tucker of the Thunder Bay Schizophrenia Society; Charmaine Frado of the Edmund Yu Safe House Project; Warren (Smokey) Thomas of Providence Continuing Care Centre; Lisa Heslop of the Victim Services Unit of the London police force; Kathleen Hartford of the Lawson Research Institute at the London Health; Dan Strahinich of the New England Health Care Employees Union and Natalie Mehra, coordinator of the Ontario Health Coalition.

Dan StrahinichPolitical Director Vice-President

"This is not about job security," said Dan Strahinich, vice president of District 1199, the union that represents 22,000 hospital, nursing home and mental health workers in Connecticut and Rhode Island.He noted that the employees are all guaranteed commensurate jobs in other facilities in the state.

Strahinich also noted that the state could apply for a $25 to $40 million grant from the federal government, but is not planning to do so."All they have to do is apply for this," Strahinich said."Why would a state not apply?"

The employees say the proposal breaks Rowland's promise that he would not diminish services in the region after the closing of the Norwich State Hospital, when thousands of mentally ill patients and substance abusers were moved into community-based programs.

Now, those community-based programs are fully established.

"We aren't growing our own, taking care of our [current nurses] or competing for new recruits," said Dan Strahinich, political director of District 1199 of the New England Health Care Employees Union.

Dan Strahinich, vice president and political director of the health care workers union, suggested that the contract be reworked to make it easier to find and keep nurses.He also said state institutions could conduct in-house classes to help nurses' aides become nurses, as one way to stem the current shortage.

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