am a proud North Denver native and third-generation House District 4 resident. It is an honor to have been born and raised in this fine district and, with my husband, to raise our children in this neighborhood. It is where I attended public school, rode my bike to the corner store on 29th and Tennyson and had my first job at a restaurant on 32nd and Lowell as a teenager. My life has been shaped by this district in many amazing ways. I met my husband at North High School, I helped my parents run several small businesses in the district and I have been an advocate as a parent and neighbor. North Denver is where I learned to stand up for others and for our community.
Healthcare is a human right. We live in a society where emergency healthcare is granted to people without resources to access preventative and urgent healthcare services. This faulty system drives up the cost of healthcare for all of us and is not healthy for any of us. Healthcare for all Coloradans is an even more pressing issue given the present dynamics in Washington DC. One of the best legislative successes in recent years was the passage of the Colorado Health Exchange. We must continue to provide a safety net for those without the resources to pay for healthcare but we also must send a strong message to Congress to keep Medicaid intact, fund reproductive health organizations and provide subsidies that keep insurance premiums affordable. Nobody should have to choose between food and shelter or going to the doctor and medicine. In Colorado, nearly 1.4 million low income children, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities received health and long-term care through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
As your State Representative, I contine to work diligently to ensure that healthcare is accessible to those who need it most. Current healthcare programs that benefit our most vulnerable populations must remain intact and the State has a duty to ensure their viability through adequate funding.