Our all-three-shifts, weekends-and-holidays, mostly government-funded health and human services are our entire nation’s Champlain Tower collapse. No disrespect to the lives lost by the destruction at Champlain, but there are many more lives lost as a result of deterioration, rust, and neglect from our federal and states governments. The neglect to pay for more and adequate staff, the rust of mis-regulation, and the deterioration of non-action is overwhelming.  The tower collapse shined a light on the $6T infrastructure price tag coming due across our country, just as Covid and long-standing neglect is shining a light on health and human services underfunding.

The tower collapse and our health and human services system illustrates the need to act instead of ignore.  North Carolina’s House Bill 914 to raise direct care worker pay is not the whole answer, but it is a good step in the right direction.