Friends,
This week I invited four guests to the House Floor to be recognized for their great work providing care to refugees. Below I have included the text from my speech honoring their great work:
Today, four clinical leaders from Poriya Hospital, in northern Israel, are visiting the State Capitol. They are here as guests of the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish Federation of Greater St. Paul, which includes my district.
Poriya is close to the Syrian border, closer than we are to the Wisconsin border, so that everything happening in Syria is as if it is happening with a neighbor down the street. Our guests are in Minnesota for a couple of days to share the types of medical conditions they see and treat among Syrian civilians, particularly children, who have no other access to medical care.
Together this team of Jewish, Christian, and Druze Israelis are working as a family, all supporting the same mission, to provide care and healing to the diverse communities in Israel’s north.
Rep. Christensen and Rep. Albright with clinical leaders from northern Israel
who deliver care to refugees from the Syrian Civil War
Mental Health Crisis Center included in House Bonding Proposal
My bill for the Mental Health Crisis Center in Savage has been included in the House bonding bill that was released last week. House File 3004 will issue bonds up to $1.9 million an amount that will be matched by Scott County for this project.
Our country, our state, and our communities are facing a mental health crisis. We need to make sure communities across the state have the resources to deal with this growing epidemic. This project is planned and ready to break ground. We should move forward, fund this facility, and make sure the residents of Savage and surrounding communities have access to this important resource.
The Scott County facility, to be built in Savage, will house sixteen beds for intensive residential and treatment services. The new facility will provide stabilization and treatment for persons with a primary or secondary mental health diagnosis in lieu of inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. The facility will be a regional resource for patients for stays up to 90 days in length.
REAL ID News
This week, Minnesota has received federal assurance that traditional driver's licenses will be sufficient to board domestic flights until October 1, 2020.
It's great news that Minnesotans will continue to be able to board airplanes until October 2020. Thanks to language spearheaded by House Republicans, the Dayton Administration is required by law to seek an extension once it becomes available. Minnesotans will continue to be able to travel without fear of their normal IDs not working for the next few years.
As always, please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts and ideas. You can schedule a time to meet with me in my office anytime by calling my office at (651) 296-9463 or share your thoughts via email by emailing me at rep.drew.christensen@house.mn.
Have a great weekend!
Drew