Teamsters Rally to Keep New Kensington Health Facility Open

Community Rallies to Preserve New Kensington Health Clinic Amid Closure Threats

In New Kensington, Pennsylvania, a wave of concern has swept across the community as Teamsters Local 30, alongside local officials and residents, unite to prevent the closure of a vital healthcare facility. The Allegheny Health Network's (AHN) Express and Primacy Care center in New Kensington is at the heart of this dispute, with union members and supporters voicing their demands to keep its doors open.

President of Local 30, Gino Bessetti, expressed, “Our community relies on the care provided by Teamsters and needs this facility to stay open. It would be shameful to close this thriving facility. AHN is attempting to break our members’ hard-won union.”

Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17^th District) also joined the chorus of voices advocating for the clinic's continued operation, stating, “Every worker should have the freedom to form and join a union without fear of retaliation. My message is simple: our country should always respect that freedom, and we need more health care options in our region, not fewer.”

The closure of this health center would mean residents, particularly the elderly, would be required to travel significantly further to access in-network healthcare services. Local 30 has responded by filing an unfair labor practice charge against AHN, challenging what it perceives as a union-busting tactic.

Expressing concern over the potential impact on patient health, Mari Kerr, a nurse practitioner at the facility, remarked, “Without access to care provided by this office, many of our patients would likely end up in the hospital. We don’t want to see this happen, and we are calling on AHN to stop trying to break our union with its threats to close down the New Kensington facility.”

Teamsters Local 30, representing approximately 1,900 workers in the region, continues its efforts to retain essential health services for the community. More details can be found at teamsterslocal30.com.