Our state must take a holistic approach to public health. Just working on the insurance crisis is not enough. At a time when we have an HHS Secretary federally who is explicitly anti-fact and anti-science, and Congress has clawed back scientific research and public health investments, it is the responsibility of our state leaders to step in and not just fill in the gaps, but to take the lead. Because the pre-Trump status quo was still broken.

Mental health issues, addiction, and other crises have exploded in recent decades. We must be willing to make meaningful investments in not just our public health infrastructure, but in addressing the root causes of these crises as well.

The solutions:

• Invest in Mental Health Care: It’s time we treat mental illness just like any other health problem. This means making investments in mental health infrastructure, and ensuring mental health treatments are covered by insurance. Study after study has shown that there is a direct link between mental and physical health. We cannot expect good outcomes for one if we do not invest in the other.

• Treat Addiction like a Health Crisis, Not a Crime: Far too many people are incarcerated due to addiction. For decades we have tried to arrest our way out of an addiction crisis that clearly goes so much deeper. The status quo is not working. We should be listening to science, and science tells us that addiction is an illness that must be treated as such. Our state should be investing in harm reduction strategies to address addiction, including life-saving safe injection sites. 

• Fill in the Scientific Funding Gaps: In Trump’s second term, he has taken a chainsaw to scientific research funding at the federal level. The losses that will come as a result cannot be measured. We will never know what discoveries were not made and what lives were not saved. But at the state level, we can fill in the gaps. We should be making record investments in our state universities to ensure scientific research continues. Our future depends on it. 

• Address Affordability Anxiety: Families are being stretched thin. By bringing down energy costs, lowering property taxes, and ensuring we make real investments in public education, we can relieve some stress that has been taking a toll on working people.