SEIU’s Stern, Rivera Named Two of Top Six Most Powerful in Healthcare

Modern Healthcare magazine released its “100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare” list, ranking SEIU President Andy Stern and SEIU Healthcare Chair Dennis Rivera number 5 and 6, respectively. This recognition comes during a year of landmark healthcare leadership, initiatives, and policy work for SEIU, including the formation in June of SEIU Healthcare, a new one million member “union within a union.”

“When one million front line care providers speak with a united voice, people listen,” said SEIU Healthcare Chair Dennis Rivera, marking his debut on the list. “SEIU Healthcare has called on Congress to set aside partisan bickering and focus on the things that matter, like providing health coverage to more of the 9 million currently uninsured kids in this country. We’re going to push for things such as safe staffing requirements for hospitals and improved training and educational opportunities for our nation’s ten million health care workers. SEIU Healthcare will continue to be a leading voice to raise patient care standards and hold local and national politicians accountable to fix America’s broken healthcare system.”

Since launching its “Vision for Reform” principles in January, SEIU has been a catalyst for change inside the beltway and across the country. Through its partnership work with Better Health Care Together, Divided We Fail, and the Partnership for Quality Care, the union and its one million healthcare workers have coordinated with business leaders, healthcare executives, policy makers, and community groups to find a solution to the nation’s dire healthcare crisis.

SEIU President Andy Stern, who last year ranked #99 the list, observed, “America is waking up to the reality that our broken healthcare system is not only a moral embarrassment, it’s an economic liability. We have reached a moment where both the vacuum of leadership at the federal level and the threat of a collapse of the current system are inspiring committed citizens from lots of different sectors to set aside their differences and work together for creative solutions to this crisis.”

In addition to Stern and Rivera, the Modern Healthcare top 100 includes presidential contenders, Fortune 500 CEOs, and members of Congress. Over 12,000 nominations were submitted in this year’s competition, and more than 26,400 ballots were cast in the voting process. For more information on the program, visit www.ModernHealthcare.com.