Wal-Mart Unhealthy for Communities

Many people across the country are irked by Wal-Mart’s poor health benefits and the attendant reliance of its employees on public health care programs. It seems that Staten Islanders aren’t any different. We received word that the Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness, a 200+ member coalition of hospital administrators, community health advocates, and concerned individuals has officially come out against Wal-Mart coming to the Richmond County. This group, who we have been in contact with, is worried about uninsured and underinsured Wal-Mart workers burdening a health care system that already is in crisis (there is no public city hospital on Staten Island and private hospitals often have to underwrite the costs of caring for the uninsured). For a borough that already sees itself as not receiving its fair share of city health care dollars, the thought of having to subsidize Wal-Mart is simply unacceptable.