In a parish like St. James, everyone relies on our hospital for health care close to home.

As a nurse in the emergency department at St. James Parish Hospital, I know how many times we have saved lives and ensured our residents receive prompt, quality health care.

This past session, many of our state representatives and senators made a choice to support health care, and this allows hospitals, like St. James, to continue to provide high-quality emergency care.

As a nurse, I know how important our hospital is to our community, and I want to applaud the state representatives and senators who made the tough decisions and showed their support for rural hospitals by supporting healthc are this past legislative session.

The alternative would have been devastating for not only rural hospitals, but also all hospitals statewide.

As an individual who sees how health care funding is used daily to help save lives, I believe these lawmakers should be commended. I want to applaud those legislators who were recently named Champions for Healthcare, and thank them for standing up for health care in rural communities.

To learn more about Champions for Healthcare in our area, visit ChampionsForHealthcare.org.

Sincerely,

Michael Gary Sr.

Paulina