Note: The following column was published by the Lapeer County Press on Saturday, August 29:

We commemorated National Wellness Month in August, a timely annual reminder that healthy outcomes are developed through choices we make every day.

This is the case for us personally, along with policies that representatives of the people pursue.

I continue to prioritize the health and well-being of people and families in Lapeer, Genesee and Tuscola counties in the Legislature. In the new state budget, I made sure we continued support for mental health funding in schools so students can have resources they need to thrive and prepare for their futures. I successfully fought to reinstate funding for autism service navigators, which help guide individuals and their families through complex healthcare, educational, and community systems after a diagnosis. The budget also establishes an independent review of our state’s mental health system to improve quality control, ensure taxpayer dollars are being used effectively, and that people in need have better access to lifesaving care.

I am pleased the House has emphasized reforming Michigan’s behavioral health system this term. Multiple House Oversight committees have looked at things like available psychiatric beds, burdensome regulation that causes delays in getting people needed care and puts stress on providers, and getting more facilities and mental health professionals closer to residents in rural areas. Shining a spotlight on these issues helps facilitate change.

I have consistently fought for better access to mental health care and services during my time in the Legislature. In 2019, I fought to preserve the Caro Center, which is one of just a few psychiatric hospitals statewide and critical for our area. The state had paused reconstruction and discussed closing the facility altogether, which threatened available treatment options for those in need across the region. I also supported language in our finalized budget plan that fixes elements of the Rural Health Transformation application process to protect rural health care and get resources to where they are most needed.

As chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Health and vice chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Medicaid and Behavioral Health, I have fought for increased support for expectant mothers and parents of young children to ensure new families in Michigan are safe and healthy. I have also advocated for additional, needed resources for victims of physical and sexual child abuse through Child Advocacy Centers.

I have also led in ensuring that tobacco settlement dollars received by the state each year are not being redirected to fill other holes in the budget and that they are actually going to address the health effects of smoking, such as cancer, peripheral arterial disease, and others.

For years, the governor’s administration received an automatic $75 million annual deposit out of Tobacco Tax dollars into the 21st Century Jobs Fund, a Granholm-era program used to bankroll corporate subsidies. We successfully ended those automatic deposits in the new state budget, stopping taxpayer dollars from going to corporate giveaways instead of programs that support residents. The funding will now remain in the tobacco settlement fund.

A healthy state and prosperous future begin with healthy people and families. Better health is not just a personal benefit. As we care for ourselves and one another, it strengthens families, neighborhoods and communities. This care and wellness journey looks different for every person. Some may be focused on recovering from illness, others on managing stress, dealing with tragedy, improving sleep, strengthening relationships or finding more time for movement. All of these involve steps and progress to get to where we’d like to be, and I will continue efforts at the state level to ensure the health of residents in our area is a priority.