Yakima, Wash. — ‘Stand Up For Science, a nationwide push for the advancement of health science, is hosting a rally in Yakima on Saturday, Mar. 7.
CEO of the organization, Colette Delawalla, says that taxpayer dollars across the United States should be put towards protecting the health of the American people.
“There’s this fiscal responsibility that these are our tax dollars at work,” Delawalla said. “If we’re going to be putting tax dollars into this larger bucket, it should benefit the public.”
‘Stand Up For Science’ is pushing for the removal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from his position of Secretary of Health and Human Services due to his stance on critical vaccinations.
His conversations and his experience in the public health realm have been to discredit vaccination, and now we’re all living the reality of what happens when you discredit widespread vaccination,” Delawalla said.
When it comes to the Yakima Valley, the organization highlights that Heritage University lost significant federal education money after receiving a STEM grant of nearly $2 million.
“They got this grant, which is fantastic, but it just went to fill the hole for a cut that didn’t need to happen,” Delawalla said. “In rural America, you need all of the federal support that you can get to bolster STEM education.”
Delawalla says that Yakima’s participation is a testament to the people of the city who are passionate about the future of health science across the nation.
“We’re really excited to have Yakima on the map,” Delawalla said. “I think it speaks to the fact that the populace of Yakima deeply understands that science is critically important.”
Yakima is one of 50 U.S. cities participating in the ‘Stand Up For Science’ rallies.
The Yakima rally will take place at the corner of S. 16th Avenue and Nob Hill Boulevard from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Mar. 7.