Short staffing of medical professionals is plaguing this country. It is even worse in Greater Minnesota. Quality of care suffers, increased errors and  deaths are the result. In many cases the nurses who are “the backbone” of the healthcare industry  are not provided with affordable healthcare for themselves. These are the men and women we trust to take care of us when we are most vulnerable. They work in clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes, and they are asked to work long hours in stressful situations, yet too often their own healthcare benefits are being slashed! Every community needs to have excellent healthcare professionals. It’s high time to better support these wonderful people who give their lives to patient care.