AL.com: Guest opinion: We can’t wait another decade; it’s time for Alabama to expand Medicaid

June 2022 marked a decade since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Alabama and other states could decline to expand Medicaid. “During those 10 years, we witnessed 38 of our neighboring states take the deal that we did not. The results speak for themselves,” Arise executive director Robyn Hyden wrote in an op-ed on AL.com. “When we look back on this moment 10 years from now, I’d like the story of Medicaid expansion to be one of an embraced opportunity.”

Further reading:

• Decatur Daily
• Elmore-Autauga News
• Montgomery Advertiser
• Opelika Observer
• Tuscaloosa News

ABC 33/40: Organizers call for Medicaid expansion to cover mothers keeping babies

“The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare a lot of the inequities in Alabama’s health system,” Arise’s Jane Adams told ABC 33/40 in Birmingham. “This is the perfect time to invest in our health care system.”

Further reading:

• CBS 42, Birmingham
• NBC 15, Mobile
• WEAR 3, Pensacola, Fla.

Alabama Political Reporter: 82 Alabama groups urge Ivey, legislators to fund public transportation using ARPA funds

“Robust investments in public transit will provide strong benefits for people across Alabama,” Arise and 81 partner organizations wrote in a letter to Gov. Kay Ivey and state lawmakers. “Greater access to work, school, child care and medical care are just a few examples of how public transit is critical not only for an individual’s quality of life but for the state’s economic development and prosperity.”

Further reading:

• Alabama Today
• Cutoff News
• Elmore-Autauga News
• Selma Sun

WSFA 12: Groups request ARPA money for public transportation

State funding for public transportation in Alabama “would allow us to increase routes and coverage,” Arise’s Robyn Hyden told WSFA 12 in Montgomery. The benefits could be especially large in smaller communities and rural areas that struggle to bring in enough local funds to support public transit.

Further reading: 

• CBS 42, Birmingham
• WHNT 19, Huntsville
• WKRG 5, Mobile
• WRBL 3, Columbus, Ga.

Alabama Political Reporter: SPLC: Huntsville plan to evict homeless from encampment 'threatens their health and lives'

Arise joined with local and statewide advocates to urge Huntsville not to displace residents from an encampment before providing adequate housing. “Camp closures do not help end homelessness and instead stack up more barriers that this community must face,” the groups wrote in a letter to city officials.

Greene County Democrat: NAACP and coalition of organizations hold 'Shelby Day of Action' to commemorate 9th anniversary of Shelby v. Holder decision gutting 1965 Voting Rights Act

“It is important that we protect and expand voting rights in Alabama, especially for the poor and the elderly,” Arise’s Robyn Hyden said at a news conference in Calera. “We must support voting by mail and early voting to help the people of our state.”