Colorado state employees and union workers with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 105 participated in a rally and press conference today outside the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment building in Denver. The event is part of Seven Days in June, a national week of action against healthcare cuts.
According to organizers, workers with SEIU Colorado joined others across the nation to demand that local, state, and federal officials clearly articulate how they will improve affordability, protect public health infrastructure, and provide stability for seniors, veterans, rural communities, and working families reliant on accessible care.
“As healthcare workers, we see the impact of these cuts firsthand,” said Rebecca Miller, a nurse at an organization that relies on Medicaid funding. “So many of our patients rely on healthcare funding to get the care they need. So much is at stake, from the health of our communities to the literal lives of our patients. Our elected representatives need to hear from us and answer for where they stand.”
Last year, Congressional lawmakers passed over $1 trillion in health cuts and delayed much of the impact until later this year. Congressman Gabe Evans has campaigned on his vote for those cuts, claiming “100%” credit for the bill’s passage. This year also marks 45 years since the first AIDS diagnosis in Colorado, which workers are pointing to as a harrowing reminder of the consequences of government inaction on healthcare.
“My colleagues and I live in a constant state of fear about cuts, and patients are already rationing their meds because they’re afraid too,” said A.J. De La Garza, a member of Colorado WINS and a worker in the state’s HIV prevention program run out of CDPHE. “That’s putting them at risk now, and if prevention is cut, we will see more deaths.”
Without new legislation or action from the Trump administration, the country could see $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, 15 million people losing coverage, 446 hospitals at risk of closing, and 51,000 preventable deaths every year, according to a 2025 study by the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. Workers are demanding that local, state, and federal officials go on the record and answer how they will protect public health and provide stability for seniors, veterans, and working families.
“Stripping $1 trillion from Medicaid, public health programs like those offered at CDPHE, and rural hospitals will put peoples’ lives at risk, and will cause an estimated 51,000 preventable deaths every year,” said COWINS President Diane Byrne. “We need to fight these cuts like our lives depend on it, because the lives of people in our communities, the lives of people we serve as state workers, and the lives of people we love do depend on it.”
Workers say these cuts don’t just affect those relying on them, but ripple out into communities across Colorado, pointing to issues such as patient wait times, availability of care, and overall community health.
“This affects everyone,” said Stephanie Felix-Sowy, president of SEIU Local 105. “When our healthcare facilities aren’t receiving the funding they need, they don’t have the resources to provide the care that we all depend on. Everyone will need care at some point, and everyone knows someone who already has. These cuts will be devastating, and it’s imperative that our elected officials act now to address them.”
