U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego
Official U.S. Senate portrait courtesy Ruben Gallegos’ office
By Sen. Ruben Gallego | Phoenix
As someone who has spent my career fighting to expand health care access for Arizona families, I know how critical Valleywise Health is to our community. In Congress, I led efforts to lower health care costs — taking on Big Pharma and pushing for prescription drug reform — because I believe every Arizonan deserves access to affordable, high-quality care.
For decades, Valleywise Health has stepped up to serve when no one else would — caring for our most vulnerable neighbors, including those experiencing homelessness, serious mental illness and economic hardship.
But this isn’t just about those in crisis. When behavioral health and emergency care go unmet, the consequences ripple across the entire system. Public safety declines. Human suffering grows. And the burden falls on the entire community, whether they depend on Valleywise or not.
Proposition 409 ensures Valleywise Health can keep pace with our growing population and rising demand for services. It will fund the construction of a new 200-bed behavioral health hospital, expand emergency services, build a state-of-the-art outpatient specialty center and grow pediatric and primary care across the system.
It will also strengthen Valleywise’s long-standing mission as a teaching hospital-training the next generation of health care providers who will serve Arizona with compassion and excellence.
Prop 409 is a continuation of Valleywise Health’s legacy of stepping up when our community needs it most. I’m proud to support this effort — and I urge voters across Maricopa County to join me in voting yes on Prop 409 this November.
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