Yale-New Haven Hospital and one of its most prominent community critics are uniting to build a hospital for the poor in the Dominican Republic.
In the fight to unionize Yale New Haven Hospital’s service workers, the workers’ firebrand advocate, the Rev. José Champagne (pictured), and hospital administrators have for years been on opposite sides. Now, in an effort to build a hospital in Champagne’s native Dominican Republic, they are on the same side.
On Friday evening, Champagne (pictured) showed off the architectural drawings in a Power Point presentation, just before heading to the D.R. to take the project the next step. He leaves Monday.
Champagne, who speaks heavily-accented English but prefers Spanish when in conversation or when rallying crowds to the workers’ cause, has undertaken a major project in the town of Guaricanos, near the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo.
His inspiration, he said, was that his father died in that town 11 years ago for lack of medical treatment; he couldn’t make it to the nearest hospital, several miles away.
Champagne turned to many of the people he’s worked with on various campaigns in New Haven to build support for his dream. Sixteen members of the Connecticut General Assembly, including all of New Haven’s state legislators, signed a letter of support to the president of the Dominican Republic, “indicating our collective enthusiastic support and endorsement of the proposed Christian Community Clinic Project, led by Reverend José Champagne and the International Positive Mission Organization.” The letter went on, “We are blessed to personally know and work with Rev. Champagne. His energy, vision, and commitment are legendary here in the State of Connecticut. He is one of a few pastors who is willing and able to ‘speak truth to power’ when issues arise that directly affect poor and powerless people.”
Champagne also reached out to top health administrators like Tomás Reyes of Connecticut Mental Health Center; Dr. Luis Añez, the director of the Hispanic Clinic at Long Wharf; and Vin Petrini, senior vice president of YNHH.
In his own letter to President Leonel Fernandez Reyna, Petrini dispensed with praise for Champagne’s work in Connecticut, but wrote, “Yale-New Haven Hospital has been contacted directly by Reverend Champagne regarding this critically important project and we have offered our support and assistance toward making this a reality.” He went on to write that YNHH would collaborate with Champagne’s organization “to provide technical and consulting assistance in the following areas: design and layout of the facility; fundraising; and operations. We have additionally agreed to assist in equipping the hospital by donating refurbished equipment.”
President Fernandez has agreed to donate land for the facility, and Champagne has picked the plot on which he wants to build. The clinic will serve some of the half-million residents of the area who now lack health care. It will include 69 in-patient beds, an emergency room, a surgery suite and recovery room, an outpatient clinic, laboratory and cafeteria. It will feature on on-site day care center for the hospital’s workers and provide community health education. He says it will cost about $7 million to get the clinic up and running, adding it would cost ten times asiduch to do the same project in the U.S. Champagne is pictured with two associates who are helping with the project, and with some equipment he’ll be taking down.
Asked how his collaboration with Yale New Haven Hospital might change his attitude toward the workers’ struggle there, or others’ perception of his role, Champagne responded, “This hasn’t changed my vision of what I want for my [New Haven] community. The hospital is helping me unconditionally, because they saw the need. I showed them photos, the problem that children walk around barefoot and suffer from dengue fever and other illnesses, and they decided to do it, notwithstanding that on other occasions I have been in opposition to the hospital and in favor of the workers. I think [their decision] was based not on my leadership position here, but on my position there [in the D.R.].”
Champagne will be accompanied by his wife and daughter (to his left and right in the photo). He’ll be meeting with the president and first lady of the Dominican Republic, as well as top health officials and the liaison between the government and religious organizations in the country. He plans to return to New Haven on June 11.
