Priorities

We can, and must, create a sustainable infrastructure to address the intersecting problems of homelessness, mental illness and addiction. 

We must prioritize equity.

There are numerous organizations working valiantly to help those living unsheltered. We must bolster and build on their efforts in a coordinated fashion. Our solutions should be data driven.  They must aim to both prevent homelessness and create sustainable, long-term solutions for people in need of permanent supportive housing. 

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We need significant policy reform to allow us to do a better job helping people in crisis. As importantly, we need to have available services, not only to address the immediate crises, but also to make services available before, and to continue to help after the crisis phase has stabilized.  Too often, I have seen the results of people discharged from institutional settings such as hospitals, mental health facilities, jails and emergency rooms to a state of homelessness;. This is not only a shameful way for our society to treat those amongst us who are suffering but also one doomed to higher cost and failure as people repeatedly access those same services.

The Climate crisis isn't waiting for us to get our act together politically to continue its steady progress.  Adequately addressing the climate crisis requires immediate and bold action. The causes are systemic and the solutions similarly must be systems based.  In order to have any hope of preserving or at least stopping further harm to the health of our oceans and our agricultural and natural spaces, we must do our best to reduce, rather than continue to increase, our emission of greenhouse gases.  As a doctor, I understand the urgency for our personal health, the health of our children, and the inequitable impacts of the climate crisis on the people in our state.

Our state needs to continue to follow the science and data as we navigate the Coronavirus global pandemic.

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This includes increasing the availability of rapid testing throughout the Puget Sound and across the state. Our state needs to step in to provide real assistance to struggling small businesses as they fight to keep their doors open and serve customers during this health crisis. 

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Every child in Washington deserves a high-quality education starting with pre-school and ending with affordable post-secondary training or college.  We need to urgently address the teacher shortage in our state as well as ensure every child has access to high-quality pre-school.  Additionally, no child should be afraid to go to school.  We must work together to decrease bullying and gun-violence in our classrooms.

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