Published in the San Jose Mercury News, Wednesday, December 3, 1997, page 3B:

"About 500 doctors and nurses in San Francisco joined thousands nationwide Tuesday in urging politicians to halt any further sales of non-profit hospitals to profit-making companies.

The actions were in support of an open letter published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. More than 2,300 Massachusetts physicians and nurses signed a letter titled: "For Our Patients, Not for Profits: A Call to Action."

The California Physicians Alliance, a public interest group with 1,200 members that advocates a national health care program, held a noontime rally at the University of California-San Francisco. The group's president, John Roark, said for-profit hospitals and health maintenance orgnizations put money making ahead of patient care.

The California group is seeking legislative support next month in Sacramento for a moratorium on sales to for-profit health care corporations, Roark said."