Lisa Feret
Candidate for House District 24
What is the most tragic or disturbing story you have heard or experienced about trying to get or pay for healthcare? How have you tried to help yourself or the person who was hurt?
Having worked in the humanitarian space, I have experienced many tragic and disturbing stories locally and abroad. It is equally traumatizing and humbling. I understand there is a need to reform our US healthcare system and I will use my past experiences to advocate for just that. Below are just three examples of some of the healthcare related situations that I experienced as a humanitarian. When I was managing a medical refugee camp in Greece. There were hundreds of Syrian refugees packed into an abandoned factory and our volunteer medical personnel were providing care as best they could. One lady needed to be transported to the hospital, but the ambulance would not come to the refugee camp because they did not want to serve this population. I was able to find someone in the community that would transport them for $50. We paid this individual the transport money because the healthcare system wouldn’t help the most vulnerable in their country.
Another time, I was helping deploy troops to Nepal after a deadly earthquake. The infrastructure had been ruined, and the only care that was available was by people on foot. Lady was giving birth to her child, and one of our teammates was a Doctor in womens health but did not want to help deliver the baby for fear of losing her license back stateside. She did not help and the other doctor had to deliver the baby on the side of the road.
Most recently, while evacuating refugees in Ukraine, there were not enough medical supplies to go around, and we needed to prioritize the regions and units that would get these life-saving kits in the field. We responded by doubling our efforts to fundraise so we could buy more medical triage kits because the government did not have enough resources to help their troops or wounded personnel.
What have you done in the past and will do in the future to support efforts to implement a state-wide universal, single payer, privately delivered healthcare system which would improve affordability, access, and quality of Colorado’s healthcare?
I fully believe that everyone needs access to healthcare and would be supportive of a hybrid healthcare model that has a basic level of care available to all Americans while also offering an option of private care if someone chooses. I have been able to be part of a national healthcare system, called the veterans health administration and also have participated in using private healthcare. There is a significant difference in technology, efficiencies, barriers, and quality of care. I would like to look at pushing legislation that refines the process in which we receive our healthcare benefits, specifically Medicaid. I would like us to expand our healthcare to include more preventative, healthcare medicine.
Please discuss any actions you have taken in your current elected offices or plan to if you have not held office to make housing more affordable and what your plans for housing affordability as the Representative for HD24.
Housing has been a pillar of my policy positions for several years now. One of my first acts when I arrived in Arvada was joining the housing group within APA. We worked together to draft a housing advisory committee, but the city didn’t move on it. It was one of the driving forces that made me run for office so I could make sure we brought affordable housing to the forefront of conversations. After being elected, I was able to successfully launch the housing advisory committee and have been actively working to procure recurring funding to continue to support New and existing affordable housing. continue to support initiatives such as safe parking sites, housing, navigation supportive services, homesharing, micro loans for housing repairs and ADUs, and first time homebuyer assistance programs.
Utah’s proposed Uinta Basin rail project could result in a dramatic increase of the movement of hazardous materials on the Union Pacific line along the Colorado River and through Arvada. It is estimated the Uinta Basin project will quadruple the amount of hazardous materials transported by rail through Arvada as up to five two-mile-long oil trains a day move east through our city. The stated purpose of the project is to increase the supply of fuel for America but the Gulf Coast refineries that the waxy crude are supposedly destined for are already near full capacity and not configured to handle this product. This product is clearly intended for export and the profit of the fuel industry.
The proposed rail link project has the support of the local Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation and Utah lawmakers and has been approved by the federal Surface Transportation Board, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service but is currently on hold due to lawsuits filed by environmental groups and Eagle County. These efforts to block the project have the support of the cities of Glenwood Springs, Minturn, Avon, Red Cliff, Vail, and the counties of Routt, Boulder, Chaffee, Lake and Pitkin. Colorado elected representatives including Senators Bennett and Hickenlooper, and Representatives Pettersen, DeGette, Crow, and Neguse have also acted to oppose this project.
Will you as a candidate and (potentially) as an elected Colorado State Senator pledge to join with those opposed to this project? If not, why not?
Yes, in addition to some of the points that you made in this question, this will also drastically increase our traffic in Arvada. I would not support this project.
Public school funding is always an issue for our state. What will you do to support public education as our State Representative from HD 24?
While schools have never been my area of expertise, after having a child I have been enlightened to many of the challenges in our school systems. My mother was a public school teacher in an inner city school, where she was routinely exposed to violence and horrific situations, to include being robbed, guns pointed at her, prostitutes in her classroom, as well as gang and drug violence. I know we need to figure out ways to fund our schools better, but I also want to acknowledge that we need to make sure we are empowering and creating safe learning environments as well. I would prioritize better funding for our school teachers and would like to revisit how we are distributing the funding for our students, perhaps there is a better method in how we allocate our funding.
Will you introduce or support laws in Colorado that either outlaw ownership of automatic weapons or require their storage in secure sites, preferably target ranges. If not, why not?
As a former policewoman, I have had extensive training on many different weapons and I don’t believe every day citizens need to have assault weapons at disposal, especially with no training.
Given that states rights were used recently in several critical Supreme Court decisions involving citizen’s rights, how will you support the rights granted by our constitution and bill of rights for Coloradans? What would be your first two priorities that are at risk?
We need to be sure that people are educated on their rights and have access to fair and affordable legal representation. One area I am particularly concerned about is fair housing practices. I’ve seen too many people be evicted for no reason and we need to be sure we are protecting our tenant’s rights.
What do you see as your role as our State Representative for HD24 in either helping or opposing citizen initiatives?
Civic engagement is essential for good policy and community. It seems that people get fired up but too late in the process to make any real meaningful change. I would like to see representatives be more active in educating the broader community around what is happening in terms of policy and ways they can engage and be heard earlier on.
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is an emotionally charged situation in Colorado. What are your thoughts on the current protests and encampments on Colorado’s campuses? Will you sign a permanent ceasefire letter or resolution urging an end to the current hostilities?
I think our students and any American citizen has the right to protest and be heard about their concerns, regardless of the issue at hand. Where we need to draw the line is around hate speech, or threats of violence. The Israel and Hamas war in Gaza is far too complex for me to understand fully but I would be supportive of urging both parties to negotiate an end to the current hostilities.