Candidate for Colorado Senate (Colorado Springs, SD10).
I am a maternal and child health activist and family advocate, I'm running for office because I believe families and children deserve stronger representation in our government. Improving our health and healthcare, protecting our environment, and strengthening our community/family supports is important to me.
Please reach out and let me know what is important to YOU!
Though this year can be counted among the most difficult–leading this campaign, and doing the work to win this seat for those counting on me–is a big part of what keeps me going. I’m inspired by all the people giving their time and resources to help me reach more voters and build a stronger campaign as we pick up speed – and we are DEFINITELY picking up speed!
July was a very busy month for our team, which has grown! We’ve added Brita and her energy for field organizing, Drew tackles issues with our voter database with ease, and just this past week our BlueBonnet data team started! Andy and Noah continue to help with the fun logistics like developing campaign literature, researching management questions, & placing orders 🙂 And of course, my family; they’ve been here day-in and day-out (for better or pandemic), with love and support.
Each and every one of you has given so much encouragement and support, and we are immensely grateful! Since the primary, our engagement from volunteers has quadrupled!
We are training new people every week how to use an app and leave campaign flyers in SD10 neighborhoods – over 2,500 voters have already received a flyer with a note to vote for Randi! We’ve held our first Calls-to-Voters training and we had 6 participants; 3 who had never made calls to voters before 🙂
There’s been a lot going on, and it’s been very exciting! Please get involved and donate to help us win!
We need your help contacting voters, please sign up to do one of the following:
Call voters in SD10 – This is the *most effective* way to help Randi win and you can do it from ANYWHERE, even out of district volunteers can be very impactful!
Email Randi at randiforcolorado@gmail.com if you are interested in attending an event or setting up a separate walk time in your own SD10 neighborhood!
Write postcards to voters – We will porch-drop postcards to you, you write our message, and we pick them back up!
Please email Randi at randiforcolorado@gmail.com if you are interested in more information about any of these volunteer opportunities 🙂
CONNECT WITH RANDI!
August State of the Campaign – ONLINE! Monday August 17, 7-7:45pm Everyone is welcome – hear an update about the campaign, meet our team and other volunteers, and find out where YOU fit in! Facebook Event Link Online meeting link for Google Hangouts
THURSDAYS 6-8 pm – Phone Banking online, training or seasoned callers! July 30; August 6, 13, 20, 27; September 3, 10, 17, 24; October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Facebook Event Page Sign Up to Phone Bank Here
Canvass with Randi! Facebook Event Page If one of the scheduled events doesn’t work for you, send me a message and we will schedule a walk time 🙂
Send me an email and we can set up a call or video chat! randiforcolorado@gmail.com
If each of our 325 unique donors pitched in just $25 more, we’d be able to fund the rest of our campaign materials for a strong win! DONATE HERE & ask a friend to contribute too! 🙂
Stay Healthy and Be Well, ~ Randi and the Campaign Team
It’s SUMMER-TIME and our family has been spending tons of time outside. We had the enormous privilege of watching gorgeous Robin-blue eggs hatch, grow into fluffy baby birds, and fly away from the nest!
Four Robins Eggs in the nest
Baby Robins about 7 days old
Baby Robin about 11 days old
Our own kids are very much still in the nest (and now more so than before!), but we’ve recently started to feel a bit more “settled in” with the changes Covid has caused in our routines. Perhaps some of these challenges and changes are starting to feel routine for you, too? It helps to know we aren’t alone in the struggle. We hope you and your family are well!
There’s a lot going on, be sure to follow my social media (Twitter and Facebook) for more up-to-date political information and ways to be engaged!
COLORADO PRIMARY – Return your Primary ballot by June 30th!
Please vote in Colorado’s primary election for down-ballot races. It’s important to local campaigns that you mark in every choice, even if there’s no contest. In the primary for US Senate, I’ve endorsed Andrew Romanoff, he is the candidate most qualified to handle the fast-paced, complicated issues we face today. I hope you’ll join me in voting for him.
Unaffiliated voters that receive both Democratic and Republican ballots, return ONLY ONE.
ACTION STEP: Message 3 Colorado friends and remind them to get their ballots in!
Black Lives Matter & Accountability for Policing
I’ve attended a number of rallies and community discussions in Colorado Springs to address police brutality and critical law enforcement reform. I’ve come to learn, from my training and experience in Public Health, how oppressed and marginalized Black and Indigenous people are (historically and very much currently), and I advocate for policies which protect their lives, livelihoods, families, and communities.
My opponent voted against SB217, a Colorado bill to address law enforcement accountability and steps to end police brutality. He was out-voted 53 to 13, showing how out of touch he is with his constituents, public health, and the issues Coloradans care about today.
DONATE HERE to help me win this seat for The People!
SUPPORT Fair Tax Colorado – Initiative #271
Sign a petition! There’s mobile petition carriers, locations, and you can even request a single-signature petition just for you that you sign and send back in! https://fairtaxcolorado.org/sign-a-petition/
I also have a petition, so if you live close by, send me a message and we can get you to sign 🙂
What a year to be running for office, this one will certainly go down in the record books, be sure to get active and bring about the change we need to see!
Endorsements!
We are picking up speed, and supporters! This month we want to highlight a few notable mentions –
Named Healthcare Champion, the group’s highest endorsement. Randi’s Master’s degree in Public Health, and experience in healthcare, are a strong assets for the State Legislature.
Randi is a climate champion and knows how closely our health is tied to the land, the ecosystems we are a part of, and the quality of our air and water. Randi will protect Colorado’s land and resources.
Randi has been awarded the “Gun Sense Candidate” designation from Moms Demand Action because she is an advocate for common-sense gun safety.
ACTION STEP: Endorse Randi! Personally or in your professional role, whichever you prefer. Please fill out this short form🙂
CONNECT WITH RANDI
State of Education Forum – Saturday June 27, 2020 2-3pm Hosted by Joseph Shelton – Join us as we speak to candidates for public office about the state of Education in Colorado and what they plan to do should they be elected. To submit a question relating to Education, please message the Joseph Shelton for School District 11 facebook page.
State of the Campaign and Volunteer Update Meeting – Monday June 29, 2020 7-8pm Please join us to hear an update about the campaign, where we are heading with campaigning into the Summer, and ways you can help!
Questions? Want to host a discussion? Send me an email at randiforcolorado@gmail.com and we can set up a time to chat!
FUNDRAISING! We need to raise $500 before the end of June, can you please pitch in to help reach our target!? Donate HERE
Thank you to each and every person who has supported my campaign. It’s been quite a journey so far and such an honor building this campaign with your support, time, and energy 🙂 Because of YOU we’ve crossed over 300 unique, first-time donors!
There’s only 4 MONTHS UNTIL ELECTION DAY! Please find ways to help and spread the word when you can 🙂
Wishing you a safe and not-too-hot end of June! ~Randi McCallian, Your Democratic Nominee for SD10
Colorado has a flat income tax rate (we don’t have tax brackets), which means lower income families end up paying a greater share of their income to taxes than wealthier families – Initiative 271, FAIR TAX Colorado, helps to minimize the widening gap between the haves and have-nots.
A YES on Initiative 271 means 95% of Coloradans will get a TAX CUT! And by raising taxes on just 5% of the wealthiest incomes (those over $250,000), we will RAISE 2 BILLION ANNUALLY!
You should also visit www.FairTaxColorado.org to learn more, use their tax-rate calculator, and sign up to receive a petition and gather signatures from family, neighbors, and friends!
During a pandemic it makes sense to adjust our maternity care, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of maternal and newborn wellbeing and safety. Yet, here we are, called once again to defend the humanity of giving-life and the normalcy such an experience demands.
I have a Master’s Degree in Public Health, with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health, and I’ve worked as a birth doula, Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and I’ve directed multi-state MCH programs; now I’m running for Colorado State Senate.
The following are my perspective and thoughts, none of this is medical advice.
Get the facts from global experts. The United States has a spotty record on maternity care (we have the worst infant and maternal mortality rates of the developed nations), and now we have a poor record of pandemic response — look to global experts for their knowledge and advice about both. I recommend starting with the World Health Organization.
Be informed about your rights as a consumer. In everything you do, make sure you know how much power you have (it’s usually much more than most people will let on). Stand up for yourself, speak to what you need. How you feel impacts how well you are & how well you will heal.
Choose a caregiver and birth location with intention. Giving birth in the U.S. (vs another developed country) means you are already at a disadvantage (less choice, poorer outcomes), especially if you are a person of color. It’s important that you are engaged in your care, and that you feel safe and respected. Find the right maternity care provider for you.
YOU *CAN* CHANGE PROVIDERS – you are giving them your business, make sure you are being respected and feel right about paying this person and bringing them into your birth care.
Look for Midwives. Midwifery care is more person-centered than OB care, and has better outcomes for low-risk moms and babies. There are sometimes midwives in hospitals (though pretty rare and needs to happen way more), and you can also give birth safely outside of the hospital, at home or in a birth center (if you are considered low-risk) with a trained midwife. Resource
You should have a trusted companion at your birth. I’ve heard that some hospitals may have said that no one can accompany a birthing person (including partners), I hope this isn’t true, but in case it is, let’s cover a few things…
1. Birth is safer for moms and babies when there’s someone with the mother all the time. Conversely, birth is riskier when the mother doesn’t have a companion at her side. For example, a partner attending a birth decreases the risk of a C-Section by 25% and babies have higher APGAR scores. (Source)
2. Under normal conditions, nurses only spend about 31% of a labor with the mother, and only about 12% of that time providing emotional, physical support, or informational support (the rest is monitoring, vitals, etc). That’s not continuous support for the person giving birth, and with a shortage in healthcare staff, having someone attend the mother just makes sense.
3. Doulas need to be allowed too. I completely understand the reason for not having numerous people attend a birth during a pandemic – an exception MUST be made for trained birth doulas.
“If a doula was a drug it would be unethical not to use one.” ~Dr. John Kennell
Birth Doulas (trained birth companions) provide emotional and physical support to a birthing person and tons of data shows how effective they are in reducing the need for interventions, like pain medications and C-sections; in fact, professional doulas decrease the risk of a C-section by 39%! That’s extremely important in a time like this where we don’t want all the additional risks of a major surgery AND when our health care professionals are otherwise occupied & hospital resources are scarce. Doulas are an important part of safe maternity care and they need to be included in the precautions and preparations we make during this pandemic, and continuing thereafter.
You can breastfeed (and you absolutely should if you want to!), even if you are positive for Covid19. Breastfeeding is an important protective measure to prevent illness and infection in an infant, and it provides other life-long health protections to both mother and baby.
But don’t take it from just me, here’s more from the global experts –
“All international world health guidelines agree: Breastfeeding should continue and be supported during the COVID-19 epidemic, with appropriate precautions.” ~International Lactation Consultant Association (source)
“Considering the benefits of breastfeeding and the insignificant role of breast milk in the transmission of other respiratory viruses, a mother could can [sic] continue breastfeeding. The mother should wear a medical mask when she is near her baby and perform hand hygiene before and after having close contact with the baby. She will also need to follow the other hygiene measures described in this document.” ~World Health Organization
ROUTINE SEPARATION POLICIES GO AGAINST INTERNATIONAL GUIDELINES. They are inhumane and have the potential for too much negative risk, we need to treat and support each dyad individually.
Keep mom and baby together. Separating mom and baby should always be a last resort. There are critical biological processes that occur in the moments, days, and weeks following birth, that if disrupted, have the potential to contribute to lifelong negative outcomes.
Also, separation makes it really really hard to have an effective breastfeeding relationship, and breastfeeding is an important part of normative and healthy development. By taking extra hygienic precautions, most mothers and babies will be able to stay together – and this will keep them healthier in the short and long term, than if they are separated.
More from the World Health Organization:
“Mothers and infants should be enabled to remain together and practise skin-to-skin contact, kangaroo mother care and to remain together and to practise rooming-in throughout the day and night, especially immediately after birth during establishment of breastfeeding, whether they or their infants have suspected, probable, or confirmed COVID-19.”
“In situations when severe illness in a mother with COVID-19 or other complications prevents her from caring for her infant or prevents her from continuing direct breastfeeding, mothers should be encouraged and supported to express milk, and safely provide breastmilk to the infant, while applying appropriate IPC measures.” (source)
Remember, “First, do no harm”. Separating children from their caregivers, and infants from their mothers, does irreparable and life-long harm.
Women and children in the U.S. began this Pandemic at a disadvantage, especially those of color, and I will not stand by quietly as we roll back the progress made in protecting their well-being and lives.
Birth Matters. Birth Experiences Matter. Women Matter. Mothers Matter. Black Lives Matter. Indigenous Lives Matter.
And there’s not one single excuse left not to act like it.
One final note: How I’d do it if I were in charge … I’d like to see more low-risk healthy mothers receive care at home from trained and certified midwives. Doulas should be encouraged at all births because of their high reward. Additionally, in an effort to reduce the number of healthy people receiving care in a hospital overburdened by treating Covid19 patients, we could look at temporarily converting local Birth Centers to high-risk labor facilities and setting up a surgical suite in a birth room. People that risk out of a home-birth would be directed to the birth center converted for high-risk care. Just some Pandemic, public health, thoughts. Thanks for reading.
Hosting the annual ‘Big Latch On‘ with the Pikes Peak Breastfeeding Coalition
Back in high school, I heard a story about someone close to me being “unable” to give birth and needing major surgery to have her baby. She was healthy, and so was the pregnancy and the baby, but the doctor told her she was too “small”. Her whole story left me afraid for my own experience one day.
In college I stumbled across a book about maternity care and it opened my eyes to the travesty that is our healthcare system. The utter lack of respect for the normative course of healthy childbirth, and its participants, was leading to trauma, unnecessary interventions, and increasing risks to the mother and baby – not to mention, costly.
I’ve been working, for over a decade now, at the grassroots level with my birth-worker community to inform parents, maternity care providers, and the public about how the odds are stacked against them, and how to avoid unnecessary risk and trauma.
But I’ve become frustrated with the lack of action from the top, and so have my friends and colleagues. The lack of policy focused on protecting our most vulnerable; protecting our liberties, our choices, and our freedom – to choose where and with whom we give birth, to be free of trauma, to live.
There are simple ways that we could be saving lives, improving the mental and physical health of mothers and babies (and ultimately, our entire population), and saving a whole heck of a lot of money.
Training local Health Workers and Home Visitors as Breastfeeding Peer Counselors
Expanding access to midwives and doulas, for example, would save lives, improve experiences and outcomes, and save BIG on cost. Evidence shows that investing in home-visiting programs for postpartum and early childhood leads to better outcomes and cost-savings for individuals (as well as economies) across the life-span.
We won’t wait anymore.
It’s time to take this fight to the top.
I’m running for our Colorado State Senate and I need your support!
My race will take lots of teamwork to win. My opponent has more connections (he’s been voting against progress in the State Legislature for more than a decade already), and he knows more folks with lots of money. He votes against healthcare, votes in favor of companies that pollute and against protecting our communities, and he is far removed from what it takes to raise a family in Colorado today.
Please follow my campaign, make a $10 donation to show your support, and share this with a friend.
We’ll win this for families, together!
Peer Counselors, home-visitors, and community health workers save lives AND money!
About me:
I’ve been a birth doula (providing emotional, physical, and informational support to a birthing person/family), and provided postpartum support to families as an Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). I’ve served in Early Head Start and Head Start as a home-visitor and Parent Educator, and I’ve worked with children on the Autism Spectrum providing in-home and clinic-based ABA services. I have a Master’s Degree in Public Health, worked in state-wide hospital quality improvement, and directed multi-state public health programs.
I began college with the plan to study pathogens and eventually become a Virologist; The Hot Zone (a book about Ebola) was one of my all-time favorites in high school and college.
I’ve been reading up on Coronavirus, and thinking about my family, community, and my State, and I want to share some things I’ve learned, resources, and things you can do.
It’s concerning to me that some folks, including our President, are saying the Flu is a bigger issue than Coronavirus because more people have died of the flu.
That’s because the Flu is already wide-spread here, Coronavirus has only begun.
Let’s look at where this could go. And then what we need to do.
This means that when 10,000 people get the flu, 10 people die. BUT, when 10,000 people get Coronavirus, 200-400 may die.
What is MOST concerning to me about this whole discussion is that our flu statistics actually indicate we aren’t very good at preventing the spread of respiratory illnesses in the United States. We see 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually from the flu.
Imagine, then, if we have this many people every year getting, being hospitalized by, and dying of the flu, these numbers will be worse *when* it’s Coronavirus.
We need to be serious about this. We can start right now by implementing better practices which decrease the spread of illnesses like Coronavirus and the Flu.
What to Do:
HUMIDIFY – I’m starting with this one because I think it is the least-well known and has significant potential to decrease the spread of respiratory and airborne illness here in Colorado. Humidify your home, worksite, classroom, business – this will help decrease the transmission of airborne pathogens. Research
WASH YOUR HANDS – Make it a religious practice. When you arrive home, get to the office, use the restroom, wipe your nose with your hand… etc
CARRY SANITZER – Hand sanitizer does not replace washing your hands, but helps when you touch the Subway rail, or run into Target. Use it between hand-washing opportunities.
COUGH/SNEEZE INTO YOUR ELBOW – Or a tissue, just not your hand. Teach children to do the same.
STAY HOME WHEN SICK – Seriously. Stay home.
I also want to get everyone thinking about, preparing for, and using a very effective public health measure to stop the exponential spread of a pathogen – Quarantine. Quarantines really work. We should use them; we should heed them.
Stay home if you are sick. Stay home if others are sick. Order groceries for pick-up, or ask a friend to drop groceries at your door, work from home/allow employees to work from home, and generally limit public contact.
Quarantine can also come from the Government and in these cases, it is incumbent upon our public health professionals, government representatives, and local officials to share frequent and transparent information about the purpose and procedures being used to keep the public safe.
Keeping people isolated and separated, often in our own homes, is a very effective way to stop the public spread of an illness. We need to consider that we may be instructed to stay in our homes for a period of days, and that businesses, schools, and public events could be cancelled for a period of time. You can prepare for this similar to how we prepare for weathering out a big storm.
I like this article by NPR for personal preparation.
Preparedness is waaay cooler than panic, and the steps to prepare are simple, start taking them a few at a time.
Wishing you all the best of health, ~Randi
p.s. I’m running for Colorado State Senate and there aren’t enough Legislators with a background in public health and emergency preparedness. If that concerns you too, please donate $5-$25 to help me reach more voters and elect a Senator that values prevention and your health.
It’s obvious that the voices at the policy table have been mostly men; often *only* men. And though ‘free labor’ from women enabled this system — our voices, our experiences and knowledge, have been utterly absent from governance and the distribution of resources.
But there’s a way to change this system. A simple strategy to overturn the status quo.
Imagine a woman in your life that you look up to. The one that organizes holidays and family gatherings. Empathizes with those who need to be heard the most. She’s strong, courageous, and fierce.
Imagine her on City Council – how much more organized and family-centered our communities and cities would be…
Imagine having a majority of State Legislatures, City Councils, and School Boards with a majority of women.
We’ve never had that.
We’ve never had the perspectives, experiences, and knowledge of women LEADING our country. A room of *only* women creating policy, protecting children and communities, and planning for the future. That hasn’t been done.
Elect women. We will all be better off for it.
And the research agrees. When women lead, more people benefit. When women lead, all of our ships rise.
And if you are a woman who is interested in running for office, do it. Local positions like School Boards, City Councils, County Commissioners, and State Legislatures need YOU!
Volunteer for female candidates. Donate. Canvass. Donate. Talk. About. Politics. Tell your friends to vote. Remind your neighbors to vote.
PUTTING DOWN ROOTS – A Newsletter from a People-Powered Campaign
Donate to Randi and support her campaign for Colorado State Senate!
Protecting Colorado
Coloradans share a love for beautiful scenery and the great outdoors. Like you, I value the incredible opportunities our landscape provides to our happiness and the economy. I believe that our lives and communities will be better if we protect our land and invest in our infrastructure. Growing up in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains, I came to know Colorado as the most beautiful and healthy state in the nation – as your Senator, I will keep it that way.
Women who run for office face more barriers than their male counterparts, one of those is having a harder time fundraising! You can help us achieve equal representation by donating to female candidates.
Every month we would like to recognize every-day people who have donated and continue to donate to the campaign.A special thanks this month to:
Alysha S.
Paul A.
Chelsea L.
Bradley K.
Sandy M.
Adonis M.
Where’s Randi?
– Colorado Springs Food Rescue Fundraiser Goat Patch Brewing Company – November 26th Event is 5:00pm-9:00pm, Randi will be there 7:00pm-9:00pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/522258898336951/
