HEALTH CARE
EXPANDING MEDICAID coverage can potentially alleviate the closures of rural hospitals by reducing uncompensated care. HealthInsurance.org reveals "Alabama has among the strictest eligibility rules for Medicaid". By expanding medicaid and protecting Medicare we ensure that our population's most vulnerable are cared for by providing the access they require. Preventative care should be the priority, this includes making Telehealth and/or transportation available, which creates more job opportunities. Providing patients with preventative care alleviates the financial strain on rural hospitals of unpaid emergency bills.
WOMEN'S HEALTH & BODILY AUTONOMY is an essential human right. Alabama Reflector reported Alabama as having "the highest rates of maternal mortality among Southern States". This is due to "25 counties being 'maternal desserts' lacking any OBGYN services and 21 additional counties lacking adequate services." According to their findings, "a 2020 study from the Alabama Department of Public Health found that out of the 80 maternal deaths reviewed, 55% were preventable". Legislators should not be involved in anyone's medical decisions, that should be left between patient and practitioner. HIPAA should never be violated. These are civil matters between participating parties.
NATURAL MEDICINAL ALTERNATIVES have the potential to rejuvenate our agricultural industry, revitalize our educational as well as health care systems and establish job opportunities. Alabama Department of Mental Health admits we are the second highest opioid dispensing state in the country, "twice that of the national average". That is a lethal legalized system for profit. There is no logical reason why a Vet suffering from PTSD cannot grow their own medicine.
DECRIMINALIZATION of natural medicines would allow countless Alabamians to take their health into their own hands while simultaneously alleviating the backlog of our judicial system as well as the inhumane overcrowding in our prisons. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime excerpt below details the Benefits of Decriminalization, while highlighting it does not increase Drug use or Crime rates.
"Decriminalizing drug possession and investing in treatment and harm reduction services can provide major benefits for public safety and health, including:Reducing the number of people arrested; Reducing the number of people incarcerated; Increasing uptake into drug treatment; Reducing criminal justice costs and redirecting resources from criminal justice to health systems; Redirecting law enforcement resources to prevent serious and violent crime; Diminishing unjust racial disparities in drug law enforcement and sentencing, incarceration and related health characteristics and outcomes; Minimizing the social exclusion of people who use drugs, and creating a climate in which they are less fearful of seeking and accessing treatment, utilizing harm reduction services and receiving HIV/AIDS services; Improving relations between law enforcement and the community; and Protecting people from the wide-ranging and debilitating consequences of a criminal conviction. Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2014. 6"
"Decriminalization Does Not Affect Drug Use Rates. Countries that have adopted less punitive policies toward drug possession have not experienced any significant increases in drug use, drug-related harm or crime relative to more punitive countries.7 A World Health Organization study, for example, found that the U.S. had the highest lifetime drug use rates by a wide margin, despite its punitive policies".
MENTAL HEALTH is a crucial component to overall health and well being. By implementing a more collaborative based approach as opposed to policing we can help our community members find the proper resources needed to guide them down more productive paths. Creating collaborative health hubs in rural communities could connect all Alabamians to specialists across the state through Telehealth services. The Alabama Department of Mental Health has Crisis Centers available to those looking for help.