Founder’s October Message

Countdown to being Counted

Hopefully, as team members of Focused Care and health care consumers yourselves, if you were not registered to vote, you did so last week – the deadline being Oct. 11. Early voting begins next week  – Oct. 24 and lasts until Nov. 4. Election Day is Nov. 8. Note that Absentee/mail-in ballot requests must be issued by October 28. So if you will be unable to vote in person, your choices can still be counted.

Every single American old enough to vote must believe their vote counts – that it makes a difference. Consider the consequences if everyone felt their voice didn’t matter. That perception shakes the very foundation of a democracy.  Your voice does matter and voting is your way to make it heard.

While there are many positions a candidate typically speaks to, given what we do every day for those most vulnerable in our care, it is imperative that we prioritize long term care policies that advance our ability to provide the best care possible.

Click here to read what the Texas Health Care Association lists as the 3 most urgent issues lawmakers must address for long term care needs in Texas:

• Medicaid Funding Crisis
• Historic and Ongoing Staffing Crisis
• Avoid an Access to Care Crisis

Note the word “crisis” follows every issue – and it should. Long term care providers – which means all of us who work in this health care setting – knows full well what it means to exist in crisis mode. We’ve lived it the last two years.  And all of you “acted” – you did not sit back and think what you did every minute of every day didn’t matter – you knew it did and does.

So I urge you to act on the multiple crises we continue to face in this challenging but rewarding profession.

Vote.

Read this for an update on the Texas state legislature, click here to determine how to contact your representative and state senator and here to find out when you can vote, for what and whom. If you have any questions on how to engage, please ask me.

Mark McKenzie

Founder and CEO