Erin Conley
econley10.bsky.social
Erin Conley
@econley10.bsky.social
Policy Wonk and Project Manager with MSU’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative 💚 Eastown Community Association Board Member II Grand Rapids, MI II opinions are my own
I’d love to come and talk to them about my partner who is on the MI Choice Waiver…where exactly do they think people who need 24 hour nursing care should go w/o Medicaid? The nursing homes would need to get paid for services too 🤔 and they certainly don’t have room for everyone!
March 7, 2025 at 3:33 AM
The thing is - we need so many more Al Greens willing to put up a fight against what’s going on. He’s completely right. The president does NOT have a mandate to cut Medicaid. We don’t need paddles and t-shirts. We need good trouble.
March 6, 2025 at 5:19 PM
February 22, 2025 at 10:57 PM
February 22, 2025 at 10:57 PM
February 22, 2025 at 10:57 PM
February 22, 2025 at 10:57 PM
February 22, 2025 at 10:56 PM
10/10 We are asking everyone we know (and don’t know) to please share Brandon’s story and push your congresspeople to support the continued funding of Medicaid and community based waiver programs like MI Choice.

We are terrified.
February 13, 2025 at 3:44 AM
9/10 We begged everyone we knew prior to the election to consider cuts to Medicaid and what this would mean for Brandon, but now it’s time to fight.
February 13, 2025 at 3:43 AM
8/10 Anyone from any political affiliation could have something like this happen to them, and most of us do not have enough people in our lives who could provide 24-hour supervision and support, like what Brandon needs.
February 13, 2025 at 3:42 AM
7/10 Brandon’s type of catastrophic injury does not discriminate. We know people in the spinal cord injury community who have been injured in all kinds of different ways, from sports injuries, to skiing and car accidents, even from just falling down stairs or off of ladders.
February 13, 2025 at 3:42 AM
6/10 Because of Brandon’s amazing community of friends, we were able to fundraise for some additional equipment like a wheelchair accessible van and ceiling lift, which have been absolutely essential for his new life.
February 13, 2025 at 3:42 AM
5/10 He now lives in a small duplex in DeWitt and has his nursing care, medical supplies, ventilator supplies, doctors appts, therapy sessions, and medications m all covered by Medicaid. He is able to pay his rent, groceries, and electric bills with a relatively small SSDI check.
February 13, 2025 at 3:41 AM
4/10 We discovered the MI Choice Waiver program after trialing a nursing home for 9 days which left Brandon near dead with pneumonia. We were able to get him to Michigan, where I (his only real support system) live, on Michigan Medicaid, and connected with the Waiver.
February 13, 2025 at 3:41 AM
3/10 Prior to his injury, Brandon was the manager of an indoor rock climbing gym - First Ascent. He’s well known and well loved all over Chicago, but he doesn’t have anyone who can take care of him.
February 13, 2025 at 3:40 AM
2/10 Michigan’s Medicaid budget is 76% federally funded and many of the recipients actually live in rural (red) communities.

Brandon is a C3 ventilator dependent quadriplegic. He was injured in August of 2023 while attending his nephew’s funeral on the south side of Chicago.
February 13, 2025 at 3:40 AM