Letters: 13th District candidate Emilia Sykes will fight for health care issues
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Emilia Sykes will fight for our economy
In the race for the 13th Congressional District, there is a clear contrast between candidates Emilia Sykes and Madison Gesiotto Gilbert when it comes to Summit County jobs and our economy.
Healthcare is not only important to everyone’s well-being and quality of life, but it’s also the number one employer in our region. Summa Health is the number one employer in Summit County. It joins Cleveland Clinic-Akron General and Akron’s Children’s as the top three employers in the city of Akron.
Emilia Sykes, with a master’s in public health in addition to her law degree, understands this and has a long history of working with our local hospital systems. Most recently, she secured state funding to support a partnership between local hospitals and the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank for food pantries that help patients who are experiencing food insecurity.
More:Yvette Nicole Brown: Support abortion rights champion Emilia Sykes for Congress
More:Donald Trump endorses Canton attorney Madison Gesiotto Gilbert in Republican primary
Her opponent, Gesiotto Gilbert, is a Trump-endorsed candidate who has been advocating for years to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The end of the ACA would be devastating to the millions of Americans who now have health coverage. But it would also be devastating to our local economy that depends so much on the health industry. Gesiotto Gilbert either doesn’t get it or just doesn’t care.
As a nurse practitioner, I’m voting for Emilia Sykes.
Susan Ellison Busch, Peninsula
Another AmeriCorps Senior program in area
After reading a July 31 news brief about the AmeriCorps program being developed through Vantage Aging, I wanted to make Beacon Journal readers aware that another AmeriCorps Senior program sponsored by Family and Community Services has been available for many years in Portage and Summit counties. This is a volunteer program of seniors 55 or older who choose to serve other seniors or people with disabilities one-on-one to help them remain in their homes.
The volunteers are fingerprinted and have background and sexual predator checks before acceptance into the program. They then complete 20 hours of structured training and shadow an experienced volunteer for 10 hours before they can be assigned individual clients. Services are of two types: companionship, which can also involve light housekeeping such as vacuuming and dusting, as well as simply visiting or offering respite when the primary caregiver may need someone to stay with the client while they take care of business or simply take a break.
The volunteers with household incomes at 200% of the poverty level or less receive a small stipend based on hours of service and transportation reimbursement to help offset their travel expenses. Anyone interested in volunteering or in need of service can contact me at 330-677-3939 or sferrell@fcsohio.org.
Susie Ferrell, Family and Community Services Inc. Senior Corps, Kent
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Health care worker supports Emilia Sykes for Congress
