Is "The West Side Healthcare Coalition" A Lie?

April 11, 2011 - PRLog -- Warning Over St. Vincent's Hospital  Mail-Out

Is a suspicious flyer and website part of a massive "astroturfing" propaganda campaign?

By Romy Ranalli

West Villagers are being warned about a flyer and questionnaire that has been mailed to thousands of residents in an attempt to get them to express support for the condo-redevelopment of St. Vincent's Hospital.

The mailing comes from a group calling itself the "Westside Healthcare Coalition."

Locals have told WestView the flyer seems to be an attempt to trick people into signing a petition to support the sale and redevelopment of the bankrupt hospital by appearing to have been sent by the Coalition for a New Village Hospital – the group leading the fight to retain medical services on the Lower West Side.

The Coalition for a New Village Hospital has warned residents about the flyer and urged people not to sign it.

FIRST THE COURT, NEXT THE COMMUNITY: Flyers were mailed throughout the West Village on Thursday April 7, 2011 - the day Rudin's $260 million deal was approved by the Federal Bankruptcy Court. Photo by Maggie Berkvist.
An offer by the Rudin Family to buy the St. Vincent's Hospital buildings for $260 million and develop 300 condo apartments has been met with fierce opposition from the community.  The deal was approved by the Federal Bankruptcy Court on April 7 but still needs the approval of local and state planning authorities.  St. Vincent's Hospital filed for Bankruptcy last year and owes more than $800 million.

The Rudin proposal includes a $110 million medical facility it is calling an "Emergency Department". The facility will be run by North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System – however, former St. Vincent's medical staff say that because it will not be able to treat strokes, heart attacks or major trauma, calling it an "Emergency Department" is misleading and puts lives in jeopardy.

Opponents of the Rudin-North Shore plan say the Lower West Side can not be left without a hospital and any purchase of the St. Vincent's site must include a commitment to build a full-service hospital and Trauma One Emergency Room.

The flyer contains a postage paid, business reply card and asks people to check a box that says, "I want to lend my voice to show my support for building an emergency and primary care center, right here at home."

Jayne Hertko, a West Village resident, said she received the flyer personally addressed to her last Thursday.

"This is so dangerous, I can hardly believe it, it's beyond sleazy marketing," Hertko said. "People will misread this, thinking it's asking if they want a hospital...they won't understand it's not a real E.R. It says it's going into the hospital space...people will think there will be a hospital there."

The flyer reads, "This state-of-the-art community facility will open in the former St. Vincent's Hospital space and will be anchored by a 24/7 Emergency Department accessible by walk-in or ambulatory arrival."

Evette Stark-Katz says the flyer is dishonest and urged others to send a clear message back to the developer.

"Don't be fooled by the fake and dishonest emergency room mailer sent out by the Rudin family and North Shore," Stark-Katz said. "There will be no new hospital or emergency room for critical emergencies."

"There is no Westside Coalition for Healthcare, it is made up.  Mail it back and write in big, bold letters, "NO. I WANT A HOSPITAL AND I NEED A TRAUMA ONE EMERGENCY ROOM!"

The flyer lists a website – www.westsidehealthcarecoaltion.com – which sends people to the the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System website to "learn more" – but NS-LIJ have denied sending out the flyer.

The practice of setting up seemingly grassroots groups to lobby for corporate or political interests is known as astroturfing. The stealth-style marketing technique is banned by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

A long list of news stories in support of the redevelopment is listed on the Westside Healthcare Coalition website.  Rudin Corporation met with media outlets including Crain's and The Villager last week – both organizations went on to publish articles pledging their support for Rudin's proposal.

On Facebook, more than 12,000 people have signed up to oppose the redevelopment and will rally outside the shuttered hospital on April 30 at 2.00 p.m. calling for a return of adequate hospital services to the Lower West Side.

A spokesman for the Coalition for a New Village Hospital said the mailing could confuse residents who opposed the redevelopment. "This is a confusing mailing riddled with inaccuracies from an organization other than Coalition For A New Village Hospital," he said.  "It is clearly intended to confuse and stifle a community that remains united in its stand for  a new hospital.  This is why we urge the entire community to be there for the April 30 rally outside St. Vincent's."