Mittman Frames Campaign On Queens Health

In a crowded field, a Bayside doctor has waged a quiet campaign over the last few weeks in the new Sixth Congressional District.

Now, with less than a month to go before the June 26 Democratic primary, Dr. Robert Mittman is finally making some noise.

“We need a Congress that serves the people’s interests, not placates the special interests,” Mittman said.  “To me, the American dream equals opportunity, and without a good paying job or access to quality health care, that dream can only become a nightmare.”

He officially launched his candidacy on Wednesday afternoon, standing in front of the shuttered St. John’s Hospital Queens in Elmhurst. The former hospital, which is undergoing a transformation into a retail and residential space, is a good analogy for what ails the borough, Mittman said.

“The closing of this hospital, and four other hospitals and Queens should be a reminder to our elected officials that the economic and health care crisis in Queens is real,” Mittman said. “Decisive action is needed immediately to start turning things around.”

In his campaign launch, , Mittman positioned himself as the candidate best equipped to handle Queens’ well-documented health care issues.

He also beat the “Washington outsider” drum loudly.

“For far too long, smart, reform-minded idealists have been replaced by special interests and those who just want to please themselves,” he added. “Now is the time to get our great borough of Queens back on track and get our political system working for us again.”

Mittman also distributed a five-point health care reform plan, which included eliminating the Medicare donut hole, extending pharmaceutical patents to lower drug costs and preventing further hospital closures in the borough.

He was less clear on how he’d like to accomplish these goals, saying only that it would be a “team effort” with other legislators.

The Bayside doctor also positioned himself to the right of most Democrats on President Obama’s health care reform legislation, saying he was not in favor of the individual mandate included in the Affordable Care Act.