Press Releases

Today Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) and Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13) introduced the Streamline Emergency Care Act to crack down on long emergency room wait times and ensure quality care at these facilities. This bill specifically establishes a grant program to expand, modernize, or streamline ER operations. Grant funds may be used to hire more healthcare workers, purchase new equipment, or provide trainings to increase capacity at existing ERs. 

"Long ER wait times have become far too common in New York and across the country, where it can take hours on end to see a physician. It is unacceptable that this has become the norm," said Congressman Lawler (NY-17). "The Streamline Emergency Care Act will provide the critical support ERs need to improve capacity and expedite care. It will ensure patient emergencies are truly treated emergently, and I look forward to moving this legislation forward in Congress."

“Increased emergency room wait times have become far too common in New York and across the country. Our bill establishes a new grant program to help ER facilities around the nation expand and modernize their existing operations to better serve the needs of their patients,” said Congressman Espaillat (NY-13). “Through our bipartisan collaboration, we are working to streamline and improve the quality of care of our nation’s emergency rooms. Our bill is a vital step towards safeguarding the health and well-being of our communities, make emergency care more accessible, and care more affordable for all Americans.”

"Greater New York Hospital Association strongly supports the Streamline Emergency Care Act. Emergency departments care for every patient who walks through their doors, regardless of their condition or ability to pay. As hospitals confront the dual crises of soaring inflation and a worsening labor shortage, they urgently need additional Federal support to continue delivering timely, high-quality emergency care. This important bill will help hospitals invest in emergency care services, plan for and respond to emergencies, and meet the nation’s growing health care needs. The hospital community thanks Rep. Lawler and Rep. Espaillat for their leadership and support on this issue,"said Greater New York Hospital Association President Kenneth E. Raske.

"Northern Westchester Hospital continues to experience a rise in Emergency Room utilization, like many ERs across the country. To continue to provide great care to our communities, further regional investments are required to attract talent and invest in aging infrastructure in the Hudson Valley. We are supportive of the effort around the Streamline Emergency Care Act being proposed, and view it as a critical step to sustaining the health and safety of our communities," said Derek Anderson, Executive Director of Northern Westchester Hospital.

"Congressman Mike Lawler's proposed 'Streamline Emergency Care Act' is a significant step toward enhancing our nation's emergency care infrastructure. At Putnam Hospital, we understand the vital role emergency rooms play in delivering critical healthcare services to our communities. This legislation, aptly named, recognizes the importance of streamlining emergency room operations to better serve our patients. The provision of grants to eligible healthcare providers for expanding, modernizing, and streamlining emergency room operations is a commendable initiative. These funds will help enable us to hire skilled professionals, acquire state-of-the-art equipment, and enhance the training of our personnel, ultimately increasing our capacity to respond effectively to emergencies," said Dr. Mark Hirko, President of Putnam Hospital.

"We strongly support Congressmen Mike Lawler and Adriano Espaillat's proposed 'Streamline Emergency Care Act' to strengthen the emergency care we can provide to our patients at Good Samaritan Hospital, Bon Secours Community Hospital and St. Anthony Community Hospital," said Mary P. Leahy, MD, MHA, CEO of Bon Secours Charity Health System. "We are aware of the enormous investment of funds needed to maintain efficient operations to better serve our patients and community and we greatly appreciate Congressman Lawler, Congressman Espaillat, and the Federal government’s efforts on our behalf."

"The ER is the ‘front door’ for our hospitals. There we care for all patients at a very high level no matter their resources. The funds proposed would certainly help us as the Emergency Room is often the only point of care for many in our community. Montefiore Nyack is also the sole provider of behavioral health, pediatric, and accredited trauma services for our insular community. While Montefiore Nyack Hospital is one of the busiest ER’s in the Hudson Valley, Montefiore Medical Center is one of the busiest in the Country and also cares for a highly vulnerable community in extraordinary fashion," said Dr. Mark E. Geller, MD, FACR, President and CEO of Montefiore Nyack Hospital.

The below organizations have endorsed the Streamline Emergency Care Act:

• Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA)
• Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS)
• Nuvance Health
• Putnam Hospital
• NewYork-Presbyterian
• WMCHealth
• Good Samaritan Hospital
• Columbia University Irving Medical Center
• Montefiore Nyack Hospital
• Northern Westchester Hospital

New York's 17th Congressional District is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties.