After her 16-year-old son Trinidad died in 2013 of dilated cardiomyopathy — a condition associated with exposure to air pollution — Holmes became an activist. Many people in her Indigenous community were dying before the age of 55, and she began to question what had once seemed normal.

Many objections center on the possibility that people living in congregate settings, such as group homes, can receive much higher budgets than those living on their own or with family members. This raises worries about forced institutionalization. ... “From my perspective, the system is not functioning in a way that supports independence or dignity. Instead, it creates exhaustion, confusion, and barriers to care for people who are already living with significant disabilities and health challenges.”

Minnesota Women’s Press is gathering experts for a future online discussion with members, and deeper stories, about physical and mental health issues impacting children and adults. What do we do as a community to heal from what ICE agents have done?

“Some people say, ‘Oh, Medicaid, it's for poor people in the cities,’ but it's not. It's throughout the whole state of Minnesota. Sometimes the percentage of the population that's on Medicaid is higher in rural areas.”