 Dear Neighbors, I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was wonderful to spend time with my kids and their partners, as well as soon to be family-in-laws. We are all vaccinated, mostly boosted, and took COVID tests before our gathering.  For our community members celebrating Hannukah, Chag Sameach!  On Monday, I’m kicking off my December series of Community Conversations and I hope you can make it! We’ll gather on Zoom on December 6 and 15 and you can email my legislative assistant, Eric, at eric.petersen@house.mn to receive the information to join.  Of course, I’m always available via email or phone to hear what’s on your mind as well. Omicron Variant in MinnesotaThe Omicron variant is here in Minnesota, and it’s imperative we work together to slow the spread to help preserve our hospital capacity for others who need care. Our state was already facing health care worker shortages prior to the pandemic, and health professionals are asking for our help. A third emergency federal medical team has been called in to support Minnesota hospitals. The announcement comes after the Governor asked President Biden for more COVID-19 assistance during his visit to Minnesota earlier this week. A team of doctors, nurses, and hospital staff from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will support COVID-19 treatment and patient care at M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina. The team, from HHS’s National Disaster Medical System, will arrive on Friday and deploy for at least two weeks, with the option to extend. Scientists have been working hard to find the variant and learn more about the rates of transmission. With much uncertainty around this new mutation of the virus, we must double down on our efforts to protect one another. Staying home when we don’t feel well, maintaining a safe distance in busy settings (especially if we’re doing holiday shopping), washing our hands frequently, getting tested and vaccinated are all strategies we can use to help keep each other safe. The CDC has recently approved recommendations for everyone 18 and older to get a booster shot. You can find a location near you here.  President Biden Visits Rosemount, MN President Joe Biden was in Minnesota on Tuesday! He visited Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount to talk about the bipartisan infrastructure bill that he signed into law recently. Minnesota is expected to receive billions of dollars thanks to this legislation. The funds will be used to repair roads and bridges throughout the state, improve water infrastructure, and much more. MinnPost has a great, comprehensive story on how these figures will keep moving our communities forward and includes bipartisan praise on how we’ll get to work together to make investments in our state’s infrastructure. You can find the article here. Stay in TouchPlease continue to reach out anytime with questions or to let me know how I can provide assistance at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn or 651-296-9889. As remote operations continue, email is the quickest way to get in touch. I hope to see you on Zoom on Monday! Have a great weekend. Stay well,  Cheryl Youakim
State Representative |