LANSING — Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared that August in Community Health Worker Appreciation Month. According to a press release by the administration, Community health care workers are critical in supporting public health in Michigan. As workers employed by community health centers, they serve working families, creating a critical bridge between Michigan’s health care system and Michiganders. Community health care workers provide culturally competent care, increase patient satisfaction and trust in Michigan’s health care system, better serve rural populations, and more. Community health care workers remain important partners in the Whitmer-Gilchrist administration’s work to make sure every Michigander can get affordable, quality health care.
“Community health care workers step up every day to support public health in Michigan,” said Governor Whitmer. “Their work is critical to ensuring more Michiganders can get quality care on time and without breaking the bank. But Republican cuts to Medicaid put their work at risk by cutting important streams of revenue to centers that employ health care workers. While I can’t change what’s happening in Washington, I’m doing what I can to protect community health workers and support them as they continue to deliver health care to communities in need.”
Whitmer used the occasion to point out that the cuts to Medicaid in the recently passed Republican Budget signed into law by President Trump would have a negative effect on health care workers and patients across Michigan and the United States.
From the release: The Republican cuts to Medicaid not only will leave many Michiganders without access to affordable health care but could also lead to layoffs in key health care fields. Given that rural hospitals and clinics heavily rely on the work of community health workers, cuts to Medicaid threaten sources of revenue for these providers. Cuts to Medicaid have the potential to sever the bridge between community health workers and Michiganders by reducing the number of health care workers in the field. This would be catastrophic for public health in Michigan, reducing progress made toward accessible and affordable health care.
“Community health workers are pivotal to helping more Michiganders live healthy, prosperous lives,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “This month, we recognize all they do to make a difference in communities across Michigan. As we fight to prevent devastating Republican cuts to Medicaid and other health care programs, let’s continue to Stand Tall for our dedicated community health workers and work together to build a state where everyone can succeed.”
Read the proclamation here.
