Healthcare

​​As a practicing psychologist and social worker, I see up close how decisions made by our state representatives affect my clients’ every day lives. I know we need more health practitioners making and influencing those decisions in Lansing, and I pledge to bring the full breadth of my experience with clients to the bargaining table every day.

We need to:
  • Protect access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare  for each person, including but not limited to access to abortion.
  • Build mental healthcare into a culture of overall wellness.
  • Ensure access for more low-income clients by preventing privatization of services and supporting fair reimbursement for providers on the frontlines.​
Address the opioid crisis which has hit Southeast Michigan particularly hard. I know that we need a wrap-around approach to reduce opioid prescriptions, support those in recovery, and support loved ones who have been affected by addiction. This includes making it harder for doctors to over or mis-prescribe, exploring the medical uses of marijuana as an alternative to opioids given its recent legalization, and connecting to criminal justice reform efforts to better care for those with chronic pain and mental health needs.

Justice Reform

In my public service experience I am most proud of our work with a broad coalition to develop, pass, and now implement the Washtenaw County Racial Equity Policy. That work took a commitment to improving our communities and supporting our neighbors who are at the furthest margins of opportunity and access. I look forward to bringing that same drive for justice to Lansing.

​We need to:
  • Work toward creating a statewide Racial Equity Policy which allows us to dedicate our resources where they are needed most and lift up all our communities in the process.
  • ​Raise the Age to ensure that minors are not tried as adults in a court of law. ​
Expand the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include language around gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation which will increase protections for LGBTQ+ residents in housing, education, employment, and public accommodations. Michigan is long-overdue to truly stand up and protect all of our residents from discrimation based on who we are. This change will have lasting positive impacts on the safety of our neighbors, stability of our local economies, and culture of tolerance and love in which we raise our children.

​Environmental Protections

In the midst of a climate crisis, as the Great Lakes State, Michigan is uniquely poised to weather the storms that are coming with the right leadership. Environmental issues are also a public health concern and we need to ensure access to clean water for everyone. Nothing less is acceptable.

​We need to:
  • ​Ban tar sealants which seep into our drainage systems and contaminate our water.
  • Collaborate with leaders across the state to support Flint families through the final stages of pipe replacement AND throughout the lives of children who will feel the effects of lead contamination for years to come.
Contain and reduce the impact of PFAS and 1,4 Dioxane. We can be a statewide leader by developing a model process for water cleanup and protection and holding our polluter, Pall-Gelman, accountable for contaminating our drinking water with 1,4 Dioxane.

Education Equality

Michigan ranks dead last in the country in terms of per pupil investment in education. We should be prioritizing our children- the future of our state- and thinking creatively about what a 21st Century education can look like. By reinvesting in various educational and career paths we will encourage the next generation to stay in Michigan, increasing economic stability on state and local levels.  

​We need to:
  • Increase per pupil education funding so that all Michigan students receive the investment they deserve.
  • ​Support a variety of post-secondary pathways including both career and technical training.
  • Make college more affordable and create incentives for young people to stay in Michigan after graduation.
Reevaluate our funding structure for equity across individual school districts and the state to distribute resources to the schools and communities that need them most.

Economic Justice

While our economy works well for some of our neighbors, we need to work for an economy that truly makes it possible for everyone to support themselves and their family. I believe that work toward economic justice is not siloed from the environment, education, or healthcare, but rather allows us to work holistically to improve all of our communities and the way in which government serves them.

​To work toward economic justice we need to:
  • Ensure fair pay for direct care workers. This includes mental health professionals, but also long-term and senior care workers, home health aids, and other domestic workers.
  • Support small businesses in achieving the minimum-wage increases and staying in the communities they make so robust.​
  • Work toward achieving a light rail line and increased options for public transportation that support economic stability, viability, and diversity in our cities and neighborhoods, and help businesses and educational institutions attract and keep talent.
Enact Campaign Finance Reform. Our current system allows Corporate PACs and wealthy individuals to have an undue influence on who gets elected and what policies are implemented. I pledge to not take any Corporate PAC money, and to fight for state level campaign finance reform to protect the voice of each citizen of Michigan.