Build Back Better: Drug prices

I love the Op-ed section of the paper. I believe we all need to write at least one letter on something we’re passionate about in our lifetime. In saying that, I applaud this reader

Like many Washington residents, I depend on prescription drugs that are far too expensive — and I’m asking our lawmakers to protect patients from high drug prices. I live with several health conditions, including an autoimmune disease. To manage this condition, I take the medication Humira, which now has a monthly price of $6,409 after January’s price hike. As a senior living on a fixed income, I’ve had to choose between filling my Humira prescription or buying groceries. That’s a decision no one should have to make.

Thankfully, the U.S. Senate has a real chance to pass reforms that will lower drug prices for patients like me. The drug pricing provisions from the Build Back Better Act would be historic for patients — they would, for the first time, allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices for some of the most expensive prescription drugs and institute a cap on out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries.

I’m thankful that U.S. Sen. Patty Murray supports these drug pricing reforms. Ahead of her reelection this November, Washington seniors are calling on Sen. Murray to keep fighting to get the job done by passing a reconciliation package that includes these reforms. Patients like me are counting on it.

Katherine Pepper, Covington

Posted in Reading | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

School Guidance Counselors, Nurses and Related Professionals

I love the op-ed section of the paper. I believe we all need to write at least one letter on something we’re passionate about in our lifetime. In saying that, I applaud this reader

Nearly two years of pandemic strain have spotlighted the importance of our children’s social and emotional well-being. This session, lawmakers must bolster the state’s historically inadequate funding for school nurses, social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors and other school staff working to safeguard students’ mental and emotional health.

Washington’s current state formula funds one guidance counselor for every 811 elementary or 355 middle-school students — far fewer than the American School Counselor Association’s recommended 1:250 ratio. The existing ratio funds one full-time school nurse for every 5,263 elementary students, 7,200 middle school students or 6,250 students in high school. The ratios are even greater for school psychologists and social workers. These formulas lead to paltry allocations that do not meet student need.

For four years, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has asked lawmakers to adopt more realistic funding formulas. Meanwhile, school districts that can rally voter support have used local property-tax levies to supplement meager state allocations. This practice exacerbates inequities between districts in property-rich communities and those in less well-to-do areas, where local levies are more difficult to pass.

State Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee Chairwoman Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, has scheduled a Jan. 12 hearing for a bill she has filed that would decrease the staff-to-student ratios for counselors, nurses, psychologists and other staff safeguarding students’ physical, social and emotional well-being. This is an important first step toward full state support for these essential positions.

Posted in Reading | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Who’s Got Your Kids

Once I was visibly pregnant, many assumed I was leaving my restaurant to stay at home with my kids. It felt like I had two choices: abandon my family to pursue my career or stay at home to be a baby maker. Our industry deserves more flexible thinking than that. It turns out many of my team members were struggling to balance work and parenting too. So, I helped create an employer-subsidized childcare program tailored to my team’s needs. Parents could drop their kids off at vivvi – a local childcare and early learning center from 7 am to 1 am.  Given what I experienced at west -bourne, I know employer-subsidized programs work if there are government incentives. Childcare needs to function like healthcare, with tax rebates to make the economics tenable. There are of course many hurdles: getting a childcare operator to accommodate restaurant hours and affordability, plus building awareness for these programs – how they operate and how team members can take advantage. You must invest in training, information sharing, and creative scheduling to help foster significant change. This is a whole new world for our industry and in the absence of structural childcare support, it will take time and leadership to steer the boat in a new direction.

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How to Welcome Fall

Buy a pair or two of new cozy socks

Visit a thrift store and pick out a super soft sweater

Sip on your favorite fall beverage

Visit the library and check out a few spooky books

Wash all your cozy throw blanks

Walk around your neighborhood at dusk.

Choose a comforting show to binge watch all season long.

Buy a puzzle to put together on that first stormy day.

Take a drive somewhere you can see fall foliage.

Posted in DIY💭 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

A Friendly Conversation

Whom might God want you to speak to on His behalf? What’s stopping you? What effect would prayer have on this situation? Dear Father, give me the courage to reach out to people who don’t know You. Give me wisdom to know when and how to start conversations about You.

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments