LAMA Supports Prop 409
“Health is central to our well-being, vital to relationships, and helps us live out our vocations in family, work, and community. Caring for one’s own health is a matter of human necessity and good stewardship. Caring for the health of others expresses both love for our neighbor and responsibility for a just society. As a personal and social responsibility, health care is a shared endeavor.”
On Tuesday November 4, residents of Maricopa county are being asked to vote on the passage of a bond measure that will invest nearly $900 million in our county's behavioral health resources.
As people of faith, we are called to serve, love, and care for our neighbors. This calling compels us to uphold both a civic and moral responsibility: to support systems that protect health, nurture healing, and preserve dignity for all—especially for the most vulnerable among us. Proposition 409 offers Maricopa County just such an opportunity—a chance to strengthen our public health system, expand mental health services, and ensure that no one faces crisis without a place to turn.
These needed funds are a practical and moral investment that will:
Double capacity for behavioral health treatment by building a modern 200-bed hospital;
Expand trauma and emergency care for victims and first responders; and
Improve access to care by creating new community health centers and clinics.
As Pastor Chris Stoxen (Holy Trinity, Chandler) reminds us, Jesus teaches us to care for “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40), to bind up the wounds of the suffering (Luke 10:34), and to “love our neighbor as ourselves” (Mark 12:31). The prophets echo this call: “to do good, seek justice, correct oppression” (Isaiah 1:17). Supporting public healthcare that ensures access for the low-income, uninsured, and underserved is one specific way we can live out this biblical call to justice and mercy.
Proponents for Prop 409 estimate the tax increase to be around 11 cents per $100 of assessed limited property value. Homeowners can calculate their estimated cost online here.
By now you have ballots in hand. Join LAMA, Valley Interfaith Project (VIP) and other people of faith in voting yes on Proposition 409 to invest in the well-being of our neighbors and build a stronger, more resilient Maricopa County for future generations.
Learn more about VIP's work around Prop 409 and improving healthcare for all Maricopa County residents in ABC15's recent coverage: Maricopa County ballots go out Wednesday, what’s on Proposition 409?
