At Senator Tom and Representatives Eddy’s and Hunter’s town hall meeting, healthcare advocates turned out in force and asked our legislators to protect healthcare in our state. Nearly a billion dollars in healthcare cuts are proposed in our state budget, and we’re concerned about the quality of healthcare in our communities if these cuts take effect.

Our job is to put patients first and make sure that everyone gets the healthcare they need. But our healthcare safety net is threatened in a way we’ve never seen before.

Already, healthcare services are under enormous pressure from caring for the many new uninsured people in our state. When people lose their jobs, they lose health insurance – but they still get sick. They simply come to the emergency room for care.

Proposed cuts to healthcare will affect each and every one of us. Hospitals will cut services, we’ll see longer wait times, and a reduction in the quality of care at the exact time when more people need care. We need a better solution.

Please call your legislators at 1.800.562.6000 and tell them to use federal stimulus money for healthcare, and to draft a budget that includes new revenues and not just cuts to healthcare programs that people depend on.

Steve Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen Healthcare, Kirkland

Adam Dibba, Hospital Unit Coordinator, member of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, Evergreen Hospital, Bellevue