Your health matters most. COVID-19 has shown that we have big gaps in our public health system. We don’t have enough protective equipment for medical professionals on the frontlines of the pandemic. We lack sufficient capacity for contact tracing throughout the islands. Additionally, our hospitals and clinics are in disrepair. Clinics in remote communities don’t have the means to provide essential healthcare to all in need, even when we’re not in an emergency. Safeguarding public health is critical to protecting the public trust. I am happy to report that as part of our response to the coronavirus, the State Legislature has crafted a financial plan that includes funding for contact tracing, testing enhancements, and thermal screening. The Legislature is also appropriating $40 million to the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency to address immediate community needs and strengthen our state’s ability to prevent a surge in cases as our economy recovers. I will keep working to ensure that Wahiawā General Hospital has the dedicated resources it needs to help working families deal with any emergency they face. Our hospital is a pillar of our community. It can never be allowed to falter. I will also strive to rebuild the systems that have been slow to respond to the crisis. For years, as corporate profits soared, our public institutions have been neglected and underfunded, leading to detrimental service delays. That cannot be allowed to continue. It’s time to put patients’ needs before corporate greed. In our fight to defend public health, you deserve nothing less.