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Cooper Green Mercy Health: 50 Years of Care for the Neediest

BIRMINGHAM TIMES — “We are building a first-class medical facility to serve the residents of Jefferson County,” said David Randall, chief strategy officer for the UAB Health System and board president and CEO of the Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority. “Jefferson County leadership and UAB are committed to providing the highest-quality health care for Cooper Green patients, and this new facility is an important step toward achieving that goal.”
The post Cooper Green Mercy Health: 50 Years of Care for the Neediest first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 years ago

October 2, 2022

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By Nicole S. Daniel | The Birmingham Times

Cooper Green Mercy Health Services, the facility that has cared for Jefferson County’s underserved population, is celebrating its 50th year this fall—and at the same time preparing for the next 50 and beyond with a brand new $120 million, five-story building.

One word usually comes to mind for those familiar with the facility: “Lifesaver.”

That’s a word used by Maralyn Mosley, 84, a health care advocate who, after going through a divorce, returned to Birmingham from New York in December 1988 and found out she had high blood pressure.

“I was using a public health clinic in North Birmingham that was run by the health department. When they closed down the adult medicine clinic, I went to Cooper Green. I went to the emergency department, and they immediately took me in. I was an indigent Black woman, overweight,” said Mosley, who remembers she was never asked whether she had a job or money.

“They started to treat my high blood pressure and gave me enough medication to see me through,” she added. “That was my introduction to Cooper Green, and I have been there ever since. I was one of the many patients they served that had no health care [coverage]. I didn’t [have] a lot of money, so Cooper Green was a lifesaver for me, as it was for a lot of people.”

Former Jefferson County CEO Tony Petelos, outside Cooper Green Mercy Health Services on Sixth Ave. South. (Joe Songer, For The Birmingham Times)

Tony Petelos, former Jefferson County Manager, is one of those. He recalls attending a 2014 meeting at Cooper Green during which he thought to himself, “I know something is going on.”

After the meeting, Petelos went downstairs to the urgent care facility because his primary doctor had retired. After undergoing a series of tests, he was told to visit a urologist, a medical professional who specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases of the urinary tract and the male reproductive system.

“When I did that, I found out I had bladder and prostate cancer. So, the beginning of my cancer journey was at Cooper Green, which informed me that I needed to go see a specialist, which I did,” said Petelos, who is now cancer-free.

While Cooper Green has been lifesaver for the last 50 years, Petelos said he’s very excited to see the facility move into a new era.

“It has saved a lot of lives and helped people that could not afford insurance or did not have other means recover from sicknesses and injuries,” he said. “[I am excited to see] a state-of-the-art facility that will be able to continue to provide services to some of the poorest people in Jefferson County, as well as to the working poor that don’t have insurance.”

State-of-the-Art

Last week, the Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority received final approval from the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System to move forward with plans to replace the current Cooper Green building with a state-of-the-art medical clinic; construction should begin this winter. The new facility—a five-story, 207,000-square-foot building with an overall estimated cost of $120 million—will be built on the site of the former Cooper Green parking deck, which was demolished earlier this year.

The building will feature new equipment, including plans for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine that will ease scheduling for Cooper Green patients who need screening. Other amenities that will improve access to care include an expanded rehabilitation suite with a covered outdoor section for developing outdoor skills, such as navigating curbs and different ground surfaces.

In addition, the new facility will house several other professional and community services, such as Cahaba Dental, the Recovery Resource Crisis Center, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Community Psychiatry Program, and the UAB School of Nursing Providing Access to Healthcare (PATH) Clinic.

“We are building a first-class medical facility to serve the residents of Jefferson County,” said David Randall, chief strategy officer for the UAB Health System and board president and CEO of the Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority. “Jefferson County leadership and UAB are committed to providing the highest-quality health care for Cooper Green patients, and this new facility is an important step toward achieving that goal.”

Raegan Durant, M.D., medical director for Cooper Green, said investment in the new building “is a sign of our commitment to ensuring that there will be another 50 years of providing … care and services to [underserved] populations.”

Mercy Hospital opened in 1972 to provide health care to all residents of Jefferson County, regardless of ability to pay. In 1975, the hospital was renamed after Birmingham mayor and Jefferson County Commission president Cooper Green.

Over the years, the facility faced several challenges and changes. Once a 319-bed inpatient hospital, Cooper Green Mercy transitioned to a medical-service clinic in August 2012, after a majority of the Jefferson County Commission voted to close the inpatient care unit and emergency room.

On Jan. 1, 2013, Cooper Green Hospital closed and began operating as an urgent care center with primary clinics. In 2020, a UAB-led authority assumed responsibility for the day-to-day operations at Cooper Green Mercy Health services, ushering in a new era of care for the indigent population in Jefferson County.

“The goal for us is to expand care … but also bring to bear UAB’s expertise around larger purchasing,” Randall said at the time.

Exemplary Care

Despite all of the changes, Cooper Green’s exemplary care has never changed, Mosely said. Although hundreds of patients were in and out of the facility, doctors always showed compassion and concern.

“They did dynamite work considering the number of patients they saw in a day,” she said.

Maralynn Mosley (Birmingham Times file photo)

When Mosley first became a patient, Cooper Green had candy stripers: “Young women wearing candy-striped aprons would come around, especially in the morning, and offer you orange juice and crackers,” Mosely recalled. “That was part of Cooper Green, and that was nice.”

Meanwhile, some of the doctors would help patients enroll in programs that would decrease the cost of medication.

“If you were indigent … your doctor or your primary doctor would fill out some papers for you. My primary said to me, ‘Ms. Mosley, I am going to fill out this form for you, so the drug company will send your high blood pressure medication directly to you, and it won’t cost you anything.’”

At the time, Mosley was struggling financially and couldn’t afford to pay for her medication.

“I would get half of it filled for two weeks and the other half the next two weeks, so it was God-sent when my primary [physician] filled out the forms for me … to receive my high blood pressure medication at no cost,” she said. “It was a lifesaver.”

Like most, Mosley is excited about Cooper Green’s 50th anniversary. “I think it’s tremendous that Cooper Green has survived 50 years,” she said. “I believe they have provided quality health care to the citizens in Jefferson County, and not just in Birmingham.”

As for the new building Mosley said, “I’m excited. Just because you are poor, does that mean you don’t deserve the best? I think the new building is going to be fabulous.”

Cooper Green Mercy Health Services operates as an outpatient clinic at 1515 6th Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35233. Urgent care is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and clinics are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To get connected with Cooper Green, call 205-930-3377.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

The post Cooper Green Mercy Health: 50 Years of Care for the Neediest first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Recently Approved Budget Plan Favors Wealthy, Slashes Aid to Low-Income Americans

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The most significant benefits would flow to the highest earners while millions of low-income families face cuts

Published

12 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown

BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

The new budget framework approved by Congress may result in sweeping changes to the federal safety net and tax code. The most significant benefits would flow to the highest earners while millions of low-income families face cuts. A new analysis from Yale University’s Budget Lab shows the proposals in the House’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Resolution would lead to a drop in after-tax-and-transfer income for the poorest households while significantly boosting revenue for the wealthiest Americans. Last month, Congress passed its Concurrent Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2025 (H. Con. Res. 14), setting revenue and spending targets for the next decade. The resolution outlines $1.5 trillion in gross spending cuts and $4.5 trillion in tax reductions between FY2025 and FY2034, along with $500 billion in unspecified deficit reduction.

Congressional Committees have now been instructed to identify policy changes that align with these goals. Three of the most impactful committees—Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means—have been tasked with proposing major changes. The Agriculture Committee is charged with finding $230 billion in savings, likely through changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. Energy and Commerce must deliver $880 billion in savings, likely through Medicaid reductions. Meanwhile, the Ways and Means Committee must craft tax changes totaling no more than $4.5 trillion in new deficits, most likely through extending provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Although the resolution does not specify precise changes, reports suggest lawmakers are eyeing steep cuts to SNAP and Medicaid benefits while seeking to make permanent tax provisions that primarily benefit high-income individuals and corporations.

To examine the potential real-world impact, Yale’s Budget Lab modeled four policy changes that align with the resolution’s goals:

A 30 percent across-the-board cut in SNAP funding.
A 15 percent cut in Medicaid funding.
Permanent extension of the individual and estate tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Permanent extension of business tax provisions including 100% bonus depreciation, expense of R&D, and relaxed limits on interest deductions.

Yale researchers determined that the combined effect of these policies would reduce the after-tax-and-transfer income of the bottom 20 percent of earners by 5 percent in the calendar year 2026. Households in the middle would see a modest 0.6 percent gain. However, the top five percent of earners would experience a 3 percent increase in their after-tax-and-transfer income.

Moreover, the analysis concluded that more than 100 percent of the net fiscal benefit from these changes would go to households in the top 20 percent of the income distribution. This happens because lower-income groups would lose more in government benefits than they would gain from any tax cuts. At the same time, high-income households would enjoy significant tax reductions with little or no loss in benefits.

“These results indicate a shift in resources away from low-income tax units toward those with higher incomes,” the Budget Lab report states. “In particular, making the TCJA provisions permanent for high earners while reducing spending on SNAP and Medicaid leads to a regressive overall effect.” The report notes that policymakers have floated a range of options to reduce SNAP and Medicaid outlays, such as lowering per-beneficiary benefits or tightening eligibility rules. While the Budget Lab did not assess each proposal individually, the modeling assumes legislation consistent with the resolution’s instructions. “The burden of deficit reduction would fall largely on those least able to bear it,” the report concluded.

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A Threat to Pre-emptive Pardons

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — it was a possibility that the preemptive pardons would not happen because of the complicated nature of that never-before-enacted process.

Published

13 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Oakland Post

By April Ryan

President Trump is working to undo the traditional presidential pardon powers by questioning the Biden administration’s pre-emptive pardons issued just days before January 20, 2025. President Trump is seeking retribution against the January 6th House Select Committee. The Trump Justice Department has been tasked to find loopholes to overturn the pardons that could lead to legal battles for the Republican and Democratic nine-member committee. Legal scholars and those closely familiar with the pardon process worked with the Biden administration to ensure the preemptive pardons would stand against any retaliatory knocks from the incoming Trump administration. A source close to the Biden administration’s pardons said, in January 2025, “I think pardons are all valid. The power is unreviewable by the courts.”

However, today that same source had a different statement on the nuances of the new Trump pardon attack. That attack places questions about Biden’s use of an autopen for the pardons. The Trump argument is that Biden did not know who was pardoned as he did not sign the documents. Instead, the pardons were allegedly signed by an autopen. The same source close to the pardon issue said this week, “unless he [Trump] can prove Biden didn’t know what was being done in his name. All of this is in uncharted territory. “ Meanwhile, an autopen is used to make automatic or remote signatures. It has been used for decades by public figures and celebrities.

Months before the Biden pardon announcement, those in the Biden White House Counsel’s Office, staff, and the Justice Department were conferring tirelessly around the clock on who to pardon and how. The concern for the preemptive pardons was how to make them irrevocable in an unprecedented process. At one point in the lead-up to the preemptive pardon releases, it was a possibility that the preemptive pardons would not happen because of the complicated nature of that never-before-enacted process. President Trump began the threat of an investigation for the January 6th Select Committee during the Hill proceedings. Trump has threatened members with investigation or jail.

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Reaction to The Education EO

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Meanwhile, the new Education EO jeopardizes funding for students seeking a higher education. Duncan states, PellGrants are in jeopardy after servicing “6.5 million people” giving them a chance to go to college.

Published

13 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Oakland Post

By April Ryan

There are plenty of negative reactions to President Donald Trump’s latest Executive Order abolishing the Department of Education. As Democrats call yesterday’s action performative, it would take an act of Congress for the Education Department to close permanently. “This blatantly unconstitutional executive order is just another piece of evidence that Trump has absolutely no respect for the Constitution,” said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) who is the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee. “By dismantling ED, President Trump is implementing his own philosophy on education, which can be summed up in his own words, ‘I love the poorly educated.’ I am adamantly opposed to this reckless action, said Rep. Bobby Scott who is the most senior Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee.

Morgan State University President Dr. David Wilson chimed in saying “I’m deeply concerned about efforts to shift federal oversight in education back to the states, particularly regarding equity, justice, and fairness. History has shown us what happens when states are left unchecked—Black and poor children are too often denied access to the high-quality education they deserve. In 1979 then President Jimmy Carter signed a law creating the Department of Education. Arne Duncan, former Obama Education Secretary, reminds us that both Democratic and Republican presidents have kept education a non-political issue until now. However, Duncan stressed Republican presidents have contributed greatly to moving education forward in this country.

During a CNN interview this week Duncan said during the Civil War President Abraham “Lincoln created the land grant system” for colleges like Tennessee State University. “President Ford brought in IDEA.” And “Nixon signed Pell Grants into law.” In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush which increased federal oversight of schools through standardized testing. Meanwhile, the new Education EO jeopardizes funding for students seeking higher education. Duncan states, PellGrants are in jeopardy after servicing “6.5 million people” giving them a chance to go to college. Wilson details, “that 40 percent of all college students rely on Pell Grants and student loans.”

Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) says this Trump action “impacts students pursuing higher education and threatens 26 million students across the country, taking billions away from their educational futures. Meanwhile, During the president’s speech in the East Room of the White House Thursday, Trump criticized Baltimore City, and its math test scores with critical words. Governor West Moore, who is opposed to the EO action, said about dismantling the Department of Education, “Leadership means lifting people up, not punching them down.”