Students, survivors and advocates press Health Care committee to back school mental‑health bills and voluntary firearm storage Students, school counselors and suicide‑loss survivors urged the House Committee on Health Care to support three bills—H.817 and H.818 on school mental‑health supports and screening, and H.20 creating a voluntary firearms storage program—during a Feb. 11 hearing in Montpelier. Witnesses described local losses, school programs and the need for funding and training.

Students and advocates are calling for urgent action in Vermont schools to implement mental health programs and voluntary firearm storage, aiming to prevent further tragedies.

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#VT #CitizenPortal #VermontSchools #SuicidePrevention #MentalHealthSupport #RuralCommunityCare

Representative Nguyen backs Friends for Sight request to expand no-cost school vision care Friends for Sight asked the Social Services Appropriations subcommittee for funds to expand free vision screenings, on-site eye exams and glasses for uninsured students across Utah, citing more than 61,000 screenings in 500 schools last year and a goal to reach rural areas.

Representative Nguyen is rallying support for Friends for Sight, a nonprofit that has provided over 61,000 no-cost vision screenings to Utah's children and is now seeking funds to expand its life-changing services!

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#UT #CitizenPortal #RuralCommunityCare #HealthAccess

Panel adopts substitute expanding nurse practitioner pathway, refers bill to Rules (12-1) The committee adopted a substitute to House Bill 43 99 that phases out the collaborative contract requirement for nurse practitioners after 1,000 collaborative hours and adds continuing-education requirements; supporters said the changes aim to increase primary care access in rural and underserved areas and improve competitiveness for federal rural

A bold new bill is set to transform healthcare access in Michigan by empowering nurse practitioners and addressing critical shortages in rural communities.

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#MI #CitizenPortal #HealthcareAccess #RuralCommunityCare #NursePractitioner