New Yorkers, heads up:

There is a petition to implore Governor Spitzer to not privatize SUNY hospitals. An excerpt of why it's a good idea to sign:

SUNY Upstate Medical University's hospital is in grave danger of being privatized. If it's privatized, and taken out of SUNY, it's likely that any services that don't turn a profit will be shut down - and that would include the only level one trauma center in the 14 counties surrounding Syracuse and the only burn unit serving the surrounding 27 counties. For some in Upstate New York, the distance to a level one trauma center would double.

Simply put, taking Upstate out of the SUNY system and privatizing it would cost lives in Upstate New York.

At this time, when it's becoming clear that privatization of medical services contributed to the problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, I think it would be a mistake to privatize public hospitals here in New York.

There are other reasons not to weaken SUNY Upstate Medical University. SUNY Upstate is a critical source of physicians for Upstate New York. It's also a serious research center with a major economic impact on the region, not only in terms of jobs, but also in terms of contributing to Upstate New York's position in the knowledge-based economy....