Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly held a Town Hall event to discuss potential cuts to Medicaid with area business leaders and community members at Cholla Health Center on Monday, March 17. The invitation-only event brought more than 100 participants including NOAH board members and our executive team as well as dozens of representatives from local and national media outlets.
After a brief welcome from NOAH CEO Wendy Armendariz, discussion continued to what cuts to Medicaid could look like, how this would impact Arizona, and what actions can be taken to influence our lawmakers to deny proposed cuts.
Several attendees shared personal stories including Quianna Brown who relies on Medicaid to cover her 10-year-old daughter’s special medical needs. “Would you mind telling your colleagues in Washington,” said Brown, addressing the senators, “that when they’re burning down this house, there’s people still inside? My kid is inside.” Senator Kelly vowed to share this quote with his colleagues on the senate floor and later discussed introducing a bill, in partnership with Gallego, to protect Medicaid rights for children adopted through the state’s foster care system.
Additionally, both senators urged constituents to make their voices heard by individually reaching out to lawmakers and sharing concerns about cuts to Medicaid with friends and neighbors. By hosting this event, NOAH played an important role in shaping the future of Medicaid in Arizona and will continue to embrace these opportunities as they arise.
A huge shout out to our NOAH team, especially Cholla Health Center staff and Support Services, for coordinating a successful event in record time!
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