LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 26, 2021)— Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) has issued the following statement after being appointed as Minority Vice Chair of the Senate’s Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee, which Sen. Curtis Hertel (D-East Lansing), resigned from last week to avoid any conflicts of interest after his wife, Elizabeth Hertel, became the department’s director:
“It’s an honor to be appointed as Minority Vice Chair of the MDHHS Appropriations Subcommittee, where so much work has historically been done to help those who need it most and, more recently, with efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. I am eager to get to work on not only fighting this virus, but also addressing the health care disparities among communities of color, improving maternal and infant health, bettering mental health services, and expanding trauma recovery efforts. Every Michigan resident deserves equitable access to health care and public services, and that starts by acknowledging and assisting our Black and Brown brothers and sisters who have continually been left behind.”
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