When it comes to the issues related to COVID-19, the executive and legislative branches owe their constituents better cooperation. Gov. Tom Wolf and our legislative leaders failed to come together and work through this crisis in a bipartisan fashion. The foundation for such cooperation was not in place when the pandemic arrived. There was not enough trust between the governor and the legislative leaders to foster a strong collaborative response to this crisis.

In general, I agree with, and support, the measures Gov. Wolf and Secretary Rachel Levine took to slow and prevent the spread of the virus. Not all of their actions were executed perfectly, but I believe they were doing the best they could given the limited information available to them and the short amount of time they had to act. My biggest criticism is that they were not transparent in helping us understand the factors that contributed to their decisions so we could better understand their reasoning.

To date, Pennsylvania has fared pretty well compared to neighboring states and states of a similar size. Our number of cases per 100,000 residents is lower than most, and our death rate is about the middle of the pack. I give Gov. Wolf and Secretary Levine credit for this success. We must not drop our guard. COVID-19 will still be with us when this election ends. We will get through this, but we must follow the science and adjust our strategies as new information becomes available. We cannot "go back to normal" until we have a vaccine and an assurance that we will be safe as we conduct our normal activities.

COVID-19 highlighted many weaknesses and inequities in our healthcare system, which need to be addressed sooner rather than later. There is no good reason why Pennsylvania legislators and the governor cannot get past political bickering, ideological posturing, and special interest influences to come up with solutions to our healthcare problems that will be beneficial to all Pennsylvanians.

We should be able to agree that every Pennsylvanian should have access to affordable health care. Also, access to affordable health care should not depend on the generosity of our employer; and providers should not be allowed to provide services to insured patients at one rate and charge a different rate to uninsured patients?

We can make high-quality, affordable healthcare available to every Pennsylvanian. There are known systems that are more efficient, less complicated, and equally effective compared to what we currently have. As your state senator, I will work for changes that provide coverage for everyone and are paid for through a payroll deduction. Part of that deduction could go into a health savings account that each person controls and is used to cover routine medical expenses. The other portion of that deduction could go into a fund or toward insurance that covers major medical expenses. If we can agree on some basic principles and goals, we can create a system that will provide health care for all in Pennsylvania.

The inequities and unfairness of our healthcare system are particularly apparent in our minority communities. This is one of many aspects of our society indicating that systemic racism continues to be a challenge that we need to overcome. We have been climbing this mountain for a long time. Just when we think we will get to the top, we fall back and must climb up again. In recent months, we have taken another tumble. We have slipped, but we can’t quit. We must get up and keep climbing. We must make the necessary changes.

We need to disarm the divisiveness. To do that, we must listen. We must seek first to understand and then to be understood. We must acknowledge that generations of racial injustice, prejudice, and bigotry have put many of our brothers and sisters at a disadvantage. This has hampered their access to opportunities, which would have allowed their families to accumulate generational wealth and advance economically in the same way as our white-anglo majority families. We must identify the barriers that still exist, remove them, and provide a means for those who have been disadvantaged to make up the ground they have lost.

We are not getting the action we deserve from many of our elected officials. COVID-19, health care, and racism are just three of the issues that need our immediate attention. Senate District 33 needs and deserves representation that will build relationships, earn the trust of colleagues, work cooperatively, and seek compromise to find effective, lasting solutions to the many challenges we face. I will provide that type of representation for you as your state senator.