Letters: Candidates to talk environment; Concerned for health care heroes

Editor’s note: The Centre Daily Times welcomes letters endorsing candidates in the Nov. 3 general election and will accept letters that are received by 5 p.m. Oct. 27. Election letters will be published through Oct. 31. Letters are subject to editing, must be based on facts and should avoid mean-spirited attacks.

Concerned for health care heroes

I care for this community and I am deeply concerned about the current situation surrounding Mount Nittany Medical Center and the changes and disruptions being proposed. Changes and disruptions, that I hope will not threaten the premier quality care at the hospital.

For decades, workers at Mount Nittany Medical have dedicated their lives to caring for Centre County and the surrounding communities. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit our area in March, these brave health care workers stepped up, risking their own health and lives to protect and care for their patients. These workers are heroes and should be treated as such.

That is why I’m disappointed to learn that during recent contract negotiations, cuts to wages and benefits for health care workers were proposed. Mount Nittany Medical Center is an extremely successful nonprofit, community hospital. Its guiding mission has always been to lift up and care for the Centre County community and its caregivers.

As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to grow in our area once again, caregivers at Mount Nittany Medical Center will again put their own lives and health at risk to care for us. It is their hard work and dedication that earned Mount Nittany Medical Center a five-star rating, one of only 14 hospitals in Pennsylvania that share that distinction.

Now is not the time to shortchange our own health care. We should be investing in it by investing in the front-line caregivers who are essential to it. These heroes have earned it.

Candidates to talk environment

A treat for central Pennsylvanians awaits us on Wednesday evening when an Environmental Election Forum, sponsored by Nittany Valley Environmental Coalition and with moderator Anne Danahy of WPSU, will be recorded and ask questions of seven candidates for office in our region.

Candidates participating will answer questions about environmental issues at local, state and national level. Fracking, water quality improvements, clean air and methane, climate disruption, plastics and electric vehicles will be tackled.

A C-NET recording of the event will be broadcast on Channel 7 in State College area for four separate times; Oct. 28 at 9 p.m., Oct. 30 at noon and 3 p.m. and Nov. 2 at 9 a.m.

The forum will also be available on the C-Net website.

Proud to support Waltz

I have been involved in many campaigns over the years and I can tell you this: Joe Waltz and his committee are running one of the best campaigns I have ever seen. They are doing a remarkable job at getting his message out to the people. It’s refreshing to see someone that has such a positive message and is not doing a negative campaign. As Joe has said many times, “People over party”.

Believe it — this guy is authentic, he is a great listener and wants to hear from you — so rare today. I and all of my family are proud to support Joe Waltz for State Representative. We hope you will too.

Keep Shapiro in office

The attorney general is Pennsylvania’s chief law enforcement officer. In that capacity, incumbent Josh Shapiro will continue his priorities for Pennsylvanians. He’ll fight the opioid crisis through prosecution of high level drug dealers, hold pharmaceutical companies accountable, and ensure treatment is accessible. Since the attorney general is responsible for equal protection under the law for all Pennsylvanians, Josh Shapiro will ensure the highest ethical standards across law enforcement and across the entire Pennsylvania government, working with data-driven programs to eliminate bias in the system. Shapiro has a long career in public service. Keep him there by voting for Josh Shapiro for attorney general.