As a medical doctor and the Chief Medical Examiner for Arenac, Bay, Midland, and Tuscola Counties, I believe it’s time to reframe and restore our healthcare system so it truly treats the whole person. That means putting behavioral health on equal footing with physical health.

Too many families struggle to get the primary care, mental health, or substance use treatment they need because the system is fragmented and confusing. We need to integrate behavioral-health referrals at every level of care and make it easier for people to navigate.

That’s why I support expanding Medicaid navigators; trained professionals who help families understand their options, connect with providers, and get the care they deserve without getting lost in red tape.

We must also build a future system that is simple enough that people don’t need navigators. That includes lowering ER wait times, strengthening primary-care access to prevent doctor shortages, and creating healthcare grant enforcers who ensure outcomes on state and federal grants instead of automatically directing tax dollars to professional grant writers.

Health care grant fraud should carry a three-times payback penalty and/or license suspension.

Michigan’s economy is built on the strength and skill of our working people. That starts with protecting and uplifting union labor.

We must fabricate manufacturer and union partnerships early. Unions built the middle class, secured fair wages, ensured safer workplaces, and they remain essential to keeping Michigan’s economy strong. Union membership dwindles because of plant closings, and we need to address that reality.

Too many families are struggling with unemployment or rising costs, from groceries to healthcare, that make it harder to get ahead. Food costs decrease when energy costs decrease. We must lower costs, protect affordable healthcare, and invest in jobs that pay a living wage.

By supporting workers, strengthening unions in new and creative settings, and expanding opportunities for everyone willing to work hard, we can ensure every Michigander has a fair shot at success in a growing, inclusive economy that also seeds small business and manufacturing.

We must also protect the retired and elderly who worked and paid into our system.

For more than a decade, Michigan’s crumbling roads and bridges have been a top concern for families, businesses, and communities across our state. It’s past time for action.

We rely on our roads every day to get to work, take our kids to school, and move the goods that drive our economy. Yet too often, we’re left paying for costly car repairs instead of seeing real results. We need a long-term, accountable plan to rebuild our infrastructure and that starts with ensuring that the taxes collected at the pump are used solely for their intended purpose: fixing Michigan’s roads and bridges.

Every dollar drivers pay at the pump should go directly toward safer, stronger infrastructure that supports growth, creates good-paying jobs, and keeps Michigan moving forward.

We must also increase relationships and collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to secure grants and funding. In addition, we should foster new construction engineering and management projects through Michigan universities ,similar to their involvement in healthcare to improve how we design and rebuild our roads.

Michigan should be a state where every hardworking person has the chance to own a home and build a future. Yet today, too many families are priced out of the housing market or trapped by skyrocketing rents.

We need to expand access to affordable housing, invest in homebuilding, and support first-time buyer programs with local banks. We must also hold bad actors accountable when they drive up costs unfairly.

Protecting renters from price gouging and ensuring transparency in leasing practices will help stabilize communities and strengthen our economy, while also protecting good landlords. By making housing more affordable, attainable, and fair, we can make Michigan a state of true homeownership and opportunity for all.

We should also explore and experiment with social research that converts decommissioned correctional facilities into affordable transitional housing. In addition, expanding P.A.C.E. models to housing can help create new pathways to affordability and stability.