April 06, 2020 01:53 PM UTC

What you can do to stay healthy and fight back this week (April 6)

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• by: ProgressNow Colorado

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First of all, I hope this message finds you and your loved ones in good health and good spirits. In just a few short weeks, the entire world has been plunged into a crisis that, while dreaded for many years, we’ve always hoped wouldn’t happen in our lifetimes.

But even in these difficult times we are not without power over our own destinies, as individuals and the future of our country.

The first priority, of course, is to make sure we all are doing our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Staying at home except when it’s absolutely necessary to go out, washing our hands every time we leave or enter the house and several more times every day, and wearing a non-medical mask in public to not infect others even if we don’t know we’re sick–this is the basic stuff that we all have to do right now to make sure we’re around to fight back tomorrow.

Then it’s time for accountability. By this point, it’s obvious that the COVID-19 pandemic has been criminally mismanaged by President Donald Trump and Republicans in power in Washington. We now know that Trump lied to Americans when he said the pandemic was under control. He lied to Americans when he said the virus would “disappear” by April. And the failure of Republican politicians from the White House and U.S. Senate to the Colorado legislature to take this pandemic seriously is literally putting lives in jeopardy.

Action item #1: News reports this weekend indicate that a large order of ventilators desperately needed by Colorado hospitals was co-opted by federal officials–this after President Trump told states to find medical equipment ourselves instead of relying on the federal government. [1] Sen. Cory Gardner has tried to cover for the Trump administration’s failures with his own efforts to help, but it’s not enough. Call Sen. Gardner’s office right now at (202) 224-5941 and demand he investigate the Trump administration’s co-opting of ventilators meant for our state.

Action item #2: Every single public official in Colorado wants to get the state’s economy restarted as soon as it’s safe to do so. Gov. Jared Polis and health officials across the state have done a great job keeping the public informed about the situation. But the far-right Republican Minority Leader in the Colorado House, Rep. Patrick Neville, is comparing the state’s first Jewish governor to the Gestapo [2] and encouraging his political followers to disobey stay-at-home orders. Call Minority Leader Neville’s office at (303) 866-5523 and tell him to stop putting Coloradans’ lives in danger with his outrageous and irresponsible rhetoric.

Action item #3: The threat of the coronavirus underscores the need for everyone to have access to affordable health care and prescription drugs. Now more than ever, the lives of people on the frontlines, health care workers, and people with pre-existing conditions are on the line. Health Care Voter is holding a digital town hall meeting with Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado and a panel of health experts to elevate the stories and experiences of Americans affected by the spread of the coronavirus–and how in the face of this epidemic we’re still fighting for the Affordable Care Act and against the skyrocketing costs of prescription drug prices in our country. Please join us.

What: Colorado Virtual Town Hall Live with Congressman Jason Crow
When: Tuesday, April 7 at 3:00pm

Click here to participate.

Thanks very much for taking these important actions to stay engaged and hold public officials accountable during this public health emergency. We must demand better at every level of government, and make sure we never again are so complacent about who represents us.

We’ll be back soon with more ways to make a difference. Thanks as always,