Square Dancing in Raleigh
I had a blast calling a square dance for College Democrats from across America! The North Carolina College Democrats hosted the national winter convention on Friday, February 1, and Senator Terry Van Duyn and I had the pleasure of leading a square dance for all in attendance.
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Square dancing is a great mountain tradition, and I'm glad that we got to share it with students from across the country!
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School Tours
Last Friday, I spent the day touring the charter schools of Haywood, Jackson, and Swain Counties. This Friday, I will visit the Cherokee school system.
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Nate Duncan, the Shining Rock Academy Head of School, gave me a tour of his school's campus in Haywood County.
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I'm with Edie McDowell, director of the Mountain Discovery Charter School in Swain County, in her school's playground.
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I had a great tour of the Summit Charter School in Cashiers. Two of the school's fantastic students treated me to a presentation about their student projects.
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NC National Guard Tour
I joined the newly elected freshman members of the House for a tour of the
NC National Guard's Emergency Operations Center
here in Raleigh.I am very proud of our emergency services in North Carolina. The National Guard is top-of-the-line, and it was quite informative to see their world class facility and how seamlessly they are integrated into our state's emergency management.
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The North Carolina State Emergency Operations Center works alongside the National Guard, keeping North Carolinians safe by responding to disasters like this past year's hurricanes.
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210th Military Police Company Welcome Home Ceremony
On Saturday, I attended a welcome home ceremony for the
210th Military Police Company
at Smoky Mountain High School. They had a great welcoming ceremony followed by a wonderful community chicken dinner.
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The community joined at Southwestern Community college for a dinner after the ceremony. I'm here with Commanding Officer Phelan and Lyn Lazar.
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Outside the ceremony with Crystal Cochran, a Gold Star Wife, and Margo Capparelli, founder of Equinox Ranch, which helps combat veterans return to society.
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Town Halls Next Weekend
Please mark your calendars and join me next weekend for the first of my town halls for the 2019 session! Over the course of the day on
February 16
, I will be in all three of my counties: Haywood, Jackson, and Swain.
Haywood County
Haywood County Public Library Auditorium
678 S. Haywood Street, Waynesville, NC
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Jackson County
Jackson County Public Library Community Room
310 Keener Street, Sylva, NC
1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Swain County
Marianna Black Library Auditorium
33 Fryemont Street, Bryson City, NC
3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
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Healthcare Transformation and Closing the Coverage Gap
Healthcare transformation
is underway and we are building momentum to
close the coverage gap
. Secretary Mandy Cohen at the Department of Health and Human Services did a fantastic job securing a one-of-a-kind waiver for North Carolina. We will be the first state in the nation to take
health drivers,
or the causes behind health outcomes like genetics, behavior, or environment,
into account in the healthcare process. This is an exciting and positive step forward for Medicaid recipients.
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I attended a bipartisan Care4Carolina panel discussion on closing the coverage gap. From left to right, the panelists were Rep. Josh Dobson, Rep. Donna White (a public health nurse), Sen. Don Davis, Rep. Greg Murphy (a physician), and Rep. Donnie Lambeth (a hospital administrator).
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Nothing is certain, but there definitely is a lot of bipartisan support behind Medicaid expansion. Everyone is human, and at one point or another we will all need to visit a doctor.
Nobody should have to choose between that doctor's visit and putting food on the table.
The proposed bill that I co-sponsored in the House will help lower healthcare costs for everyone.
Let's get more people insured! Please join the conversation, and feel free to give Senator Jim Davis or me a call to discuss your thoughts.
Sincerely,
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Please share this with your friends!
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