Sen. Brinks backs support for direct-care workers, closing health care gap in FY22 budget recommendation
LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 11, 2021) — Sen. Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) has issued the following statement regarding Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget recommendation presented today to a joint meeting of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, which includes making the $2-per-hour pay increase for direct-care workers permanent and increases funding to reduce health care disparities:
“Direct-care workers provide integral and personalized care that can be the difference between staying in a hospital and recovering at home, and between institutionalizing a loved one or keeping them with their family. The services they provide are invaluable and should be treated as such. I’m very pleased to see the governor’s continued focus on this area, as it has needed attention from our elected officials for years.
“I’m also heartened to see an increased investment for improving community-based navigators to enhance health care coverage access. The more our systems work together in a cohesive manner, the less likely we are to let vulnerable people slip through the cracks of our health care system. For too long, many Black and Brown people have been receiving inadequate care or no care at all. I applaud Governor Whitmer for truly taking a close look at our existing institutions and ways to improve them, and I look forward to getting to work on these matters and addressing the inequities in our health care system.
“Additionally, Michigan’s most valuable resource is its people. With a significant increase in per pupil funding, it is encouraging to see Gov. Whitmer’s proposal invest heavily in education. This budget will help our students get back on track as we move further toward normalcy.”
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