If you work in healthcare, you understand the importance of public health, disease prevention, and research. Even if you don’t work in healthcare, you and your family use a range of health services and count on having access to some of the most advanced healthcare in the world.

But the new administration in DC may be causing you concerns as a healthcare professional and/or consumer of healthcare. Maybe you are concerned that the new Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) is anti-vaccine and anti-science. On the other hand, you may be optimistic about potentially positive changes around processed foods as he says he will “Make America Healthy Again”. The irony of those two points is not lost on me.

Maybe you are worried about cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. But you hear leaders in Washington say that will never happen. Or maybe you are a veteran concerned that your health benefits and services will be reduced. Maybe you or a family member care about cancer or Alzheimer research. All of these are legitimate concerns shared by millions of Americans.

I shared a post on LinkedIn a week ago that included a link to the 42-page list of grants that the National Institute of Health (NIH) had cut. As Dr. Michael Wagner, President and CEO of Care New England said in the original post, “most of the grants targeted for termination focused on:

• • LGBTQ+ health and gender-affirming care
  • Racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes
  • Mental health and trauma among marginalized populations
  • Social determinants of health and health equity
  • Vaccine access, behavior, and hesitancy research”

He went on to write, “This appears to be less about performance and more about realigning federal policy priorities—away from equity-focused, community-based, and prevention-oriented work.”

But maybe none of those grant cuts impacted you directly.

This week there were significant HHS cuts, and many programs were gutted. I’d be surprised if one of them didn’t directly impact you.

I haven’t found a good summary of the HHS cuts to share in this blog post, but I trust they will surface in the coming days. My objective here is not to regurgitate the news coming at us faster than we can process each day but to challenge each of you.

When will something hit close enough to home you can’t just sit on your couch and yell at the TV anymore? Will it be cutting and dismantling healthcare services and research or something else?

There are protests somewhere every day now. There are town halls where voters are angry and upset. People are standing up and speaking out in opposition to what is happening. The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC each night typically starts with a review of key protests, highlighting the thousands of people who are standing up and speaking out.

On Saturday, April 5^th, millions of Americans will join one of the more than 950 protests scheduled in Washington DC, in every state capitol, and in small towns across the country as part of the “Hands Off National Day of Action”. This nationwide mobilization is organized by a coalition of over 150 grassroots organizations and progressive groups including two of the larger ones – 50501 Movement and Indivisible.

In his record breaking 25-hour speech on the floor of the Senate this week, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker invoked former Congressman John Lewis multiple times in calling for “good trouble, necessary trouble, to redeem the soul or our nation”. In his final moments speaking, he reiterated that, “This is a moral moment. It’s not left or right; it’s right or wrong”.

I know where I’ll be on Saturday. I went to my first public protest when I was in high school with one of our teachers and a small group of students – it was an anti-war protest. I have stood up and spoken up for what I believe is right many more times in different forms since then. This Saturday won’t be my last public protest.

Related Posts:

From MLK to Today: Defending Democracy, Diversity, and Justice Together

Finding truth post-election: staying informed, vigilant and engaged

Your Voice is Your Power: Standing Up for Democracy in a Divisive Election Season