TOPEKA — Ukrainian college student Mikola Hordiichuk said a pair of resolutions in the Kansas House and Senate acknowledging Ukrainian efforts and condemning Russian tactics are lifting spirits in treacherous times among his friends and family back home.
Hordiichuk, a finance major at the University of Kansas, is from the city of Uman in central Ukraine, where he said his family and friends live in fear of constant bombings. Images sent to him of destroyed theaters and schools, or of his parents hunkered down in a shelter, have him on edge.
“When you don’t know what’s going on to your parents, to your friends, it can be very frustrating and terrifying because you don’t know if you’re going to talk to them tomorrow,” Hordiichuk said.
But news that lawmakers in Kansas, in addition to governments around the world, are expressing support has given him and his family some hope.
Hordiichuk, who spoke at a rally at the Kansas Statehouse earlier this month, said countries around the world should follow the lead of states like Kansas and speak out against Russia.
“It’s not just about Ukrainian land; it’s about the values of freedom, independence, of national sovereignty and just democracy in general,” Hordiichuk said. “These are the values that almost every nation in the world appreciates and fights for them.”
In the Senate, lawmakers approved without opposition a resolution urging President Joe Biden to cease importing oil and gas from Russia, a measure the president had already announced.
The resolution approved by the state House by 119 to 4 vote honored Ukrainians fighting against the Russian invasion while also condemning the actions of the invading country.
“There’ll be some people here who will say this is none of the business of the United States,” said Rep. Boog Highberger, D-Lawrence. “But to that, I would say, if you really want to live in a world where Vladimir Putin could do anything he wants to and get away with it, I’d think again.”
Rep. Francis Awerkamp, R-St. Marys, Rep. Randy Garber, R-Sabetha, Rep. Trevor Jacobs, R-Fort Scott, and Rep. Tatum Lee, R-Ness City, voted against the measure.
Meanwhile, Kansas hospitals are also chipping in through a Kansas City-based program. Project C.U.RE. is sending shipments of medical supplies of which there is dire need following attacks on hospitals across Ukraine.
The University of Kansas Health System contributed IV kits, scalpels, dressings, stethoscopes, catheters and more to the effort, said Janie Ott, vice president of the supply chain for the health system. Even things like unscented baby wipes can make an impact, she said.
“We just saw images of babies that are still being born and maternal care is needed,” Ott said. “We were able to send unscented baby wipes, which seems like such a little thing, but it’s highly impactful in the environment in the Ukraine right now.”
Ott said the effects of the war could extend beyond the casualties in Ukraine and rising costs at the gas pump in the U.S. into health systems across the country, especially when it comes to personal protective equipment for staff. Anytime there is a significant need, those high-demand areas become priorities for PPE shipments, she said.
Being proactive will be essential to ensuring the health system is prepared for any outcome, Ott said. She said KU Health System currently has 120 days of equipment on hand.
“Purchasing right now is a challenge and I think we even see that in our everyday life in our grocery store, so the supply chain is without a doubt compromised,” she said. “We just have to be very watchful, very proactive and make decisions and keep those supplies coming in needs to be a very continuous process.”
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March 19, 2022 at 11:59PM
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Kansas Legislature's resolutions resonate with Ukrainians here and back home - Kansas Reflector
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