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Members fffih, Frot AssemhlY R.ichard Gottfried N, .m4 Lifton andBarbara

Dear ColleagueThisartlcle, which was in the Albany TUand severalpapers around the country, is about the economlcimpact of fracking on workers and the local economy(especiallyhospitals),and the problem of lack of health insurance. Dick Gottfried Barbara Lifton

Albany Times Union

December 24',2012

citedin Pa.hospital's fieldworkers Gas losses

* loss operating in aboutfiveyearsat a northSHORE, (APJ Thefir.st Pa. IERSEY is hospital a signof the influxof naturalgasfieldworkerswithout centralPennsylvania the CEO health insurance, facility's said. president CE0Carey told of and Plummer theSun-Gazette Hospital Shore f ersey Marcellus Shale drilling attracted the area's to Williamsport that manysubcontractors employees boomdp not cover people the community-ownecl, to number uninsured of a Thathasbrought growing hospital, Plummer said. nonprofit "l I Plumrner said. dort't thinkit's a signof the economy.thinkit's "Wehada loss," insurance." the irrfluxof the gas, industryandthosewho lacl< Thehospital loss whileprovicling morethan$3 reported operating of $770,000 an year,Theuncompensated to people unable payin its mostrecentfiscal to millionin care it carefigureis the highest haseverseen, include cutsin losses Other significant factors corrtributing thehospital's to pension Medicaid reimbursements, employee salary increase.q higher and costs, Plummer said. The Shore about65 milesnorthof Pennsylvania's is capital Harrisburg. of Jersey people Cllnton Lycoming counties. hospital says service its area covers about 45,000 in and visitsand14,835 emergency room It reported 3,260 acute caredays, ,69Loutpaticnt 67 fiscal year. visitsin thc mostrecent With about660wells,Lycoming is Cor-rnty the fourthmostheavilydrilledcountyin the Marcellus Shale in in records. The rushthatbegan earnosl 2008, according state to justunder100since footprint Clinton in County smaller, is with then. Thestate's most fwo heavily drilledcounties, Tioga andBradford, neighbors Lycomirrg are of County,