Re: Legislative update January 11-16

["Sue Hovey" <suehovey@moscow.com>]

Lois, I think that's a fine idea.  I just wrote Tom that it seems to me
criminal that we would put all the tobacco money into a rainy day
account--we have needs such as immunization of children and head start
funding right now--we don"t need to save for future problems when we have
critical needs now.  Prenatal care pays for itself several times over as it
helps provide for healthy babies and their mothers.  That program would
serve the state's future needs much more adequately than an increased rainy
day fund.

Sue Hovey
.
-----Original Message-----
From: Lois Melina <lmelina@moscow.com>
To: vision2020@moscow.com <vision2020@moscow.com>; Tom Trail
<RepTrail@infotrail.com>
Date: Thursday, January 21, 1999 9:34 PM
Subject: Re: Legislative update January 11-16


>I would like to see the tobacco monies used to improve health care to
>children, the uninsured, and the underinsured. The immunization initiative
>is greatly needed and it would make sense to fund it with the tobacco
>monies. Wouldn't it make more sense, though, to work on better prenatal
>care for women? If possible, reducing the amount of tobacco, alcohol and
>other drugs during pregnancy would not only improve their health, it would
>improve the health of their children. At the same time, by engaging these
>women in prenatal health care, the health care providers could build a case
>for immunization of children.
>
>Lois Melina
>