My name is Lisa Emmer and I have worked for 14 years as a certified nurse assistant at the Harrington Court nursing home in Colchester.

As a member of the Recovery for All coalition, I believe we have an unprecedented opportunity to tackle the disinvestment that has ravaged our communities and long-term care facilities long before COVID-19. In nursing homes like mine, we struggle with low staffing, inadequate training, low wages, and a lack of benefits. It is critical that progressive revenue is included in the budget and invested in ways that address these issues.

When COVID hit my home last September, we lost many of our residents. It was heartbreaking. All the while my co-workers and I continued to work, knowing we were being exposed to COVID every day. While long-term caregivers like myself were called heroes during the worst of COVID, we have been treated like we are expendable. We need revenue that funds the structural change needed to maintain safe staffing, quality patient care, and care for our caregivers. I call on Governor Lamont, Senator Norm Needleman, and Rep. Brian Smith to stand up for the working people of Connecticut and support the Recovery for All revenue proposals.

Lisa Emmer

Colchester