Michigan’s ‘No Soup for You’ Kitchen Shows Price of Budget Cuts
A sunny day on Lansing’s Capitol lawn brought the Michigan Nurses Association out today to hold a soup kitchen serving people left in need by the state’s drastic budget cuts. Governor Rick Snyder’s budget, passed in June, cut $1.5 billion while offering another $1 billion in corporate tax giveaways. The plan cut $100 million from local community services and chopped the Healthy Michigan program, which funded preventive care. The nurses said they came to the Capitol to highlight conditions for their patients, which have become so dire that some choose between life-saving medications and a daily meal. Job loss coupled with loss of health insurance has meant more of Michigan’s working poor seek assistance for day-to-day essentials. One witness to the daily hardships is Ashley Forsberg, a nurse at Sparrow Hospital’s Medical-Surgical Unit. Forsberg, a nurse for nearly six years, attended the soup kitchen because she’s already seeing more patients unable to manage their diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart-related conditions because they simply cannot afford it. Cutting preventive care costs more in the long run, Forsberg said. When diseases are not controlled by regular medical care and medications, sicker patients enter the hospital, and the increased costs are passed on to an already burdened health care system. “Michigan citizens and America are hurting,” she said. “It’s time for Wall Street and big business to give back.”
Miya Williamson is Financial Secretary/Treasurer of United Auto Workers Local 6000, which represents state employees.
