Access to Health Care
“I relentlessly focus on expanding access to health care, whether it be services in our geographically isolated region, transforming mental health & substance use disorder systems, or safeguarding the right to reproductive health care.”
— Julian Cyr
Senator Cyr currently serves as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health and Senate Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery. He also serves as a member of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs.
Protecting Lives and Access to Care
LANDMARK STEPS TO SECURE MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS
Like so many, Julian has struggled with anxiety and depression, especially as an adolescent. Senator Cyr authored the Mental Health ABC Act, a landmark 2022 law that works to ensure access to affordable mental health care, stop insurers from delaying treatment, and develop a workforce pipeline for more mental health professionals in the Commonwealth.
CRACKING DOWN ON HARMFUL BUREAUCRACY
Patients shouldn't be kept from the medications and treatment they need just to help insurers save on costs. Senator Cyr sponsored legislation that was passed into law to curb the use of step therapy in the Commonwealth — a major victory for rare disease patients who were often forced to take cheaper medications by their insurers instead of those recommended by their physician.
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT THAT SAVES LIVES
People who use drugs are less likely to get the help they need and more likely to fatally overdose if they are forced into the shadows. That is why Senator Cyr has been an advocate for evidence-based policies to tackle the opioid epidemic. In 2018, he championed the expansion of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder care. More recently, Julian shepherded legislation through the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery, which was later passed by the Senate, to pilot overdose prevention centers in Massachusetts.
Lifelong Commitment to Public Health
Julian has been passionate about public health work since he was a student. As an undergraduate at NYU, he initiated a community-based model of on-campus HIV screening and prevention. He also served as an HIV test counselor at GMHC in New York and the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod. Later, Julian spent six years working at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, first working closely with members of the Legislature as deputy director for government affairs, and later as director of policy and regulatory affairs in the Bureau of Environmental Health.
A Leader in Public Health
CONNECTING PATIENTS TO TELEHEALTH
Telehealth is an innovative care delivery model that allows even the most remote, rural communities to receive high-quality medical consults from Massachusetts' world-class providers. Senator Cyr helped pass legislation to compel insurance companies to recognize telehealth and fully fund virtual visits for behavioral health care.
FIGHTING FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS
Community health centers are on the frontlines of our efforts to keep our communities healthy and increase access to primary care. Senator Cyr has championed legislation to create a fund to ensure that community health centers have the resources — financial and otherwise — to succeed in providing medical services to vulnerable populations throughout Massachusetts, including on the Cape & Islands.
LEADING IN A GENERATIONAL CRISIS
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Cyr was tapped to serve on the leadership team of the Cape Cod Reopening Task Force. This regional organization successfully advocated for residents, business owners, and workers as we all navigated the challenges posed by the greatest public health crisis in a century. He served as public information officer for the task force and held weekly press conferences to provide information to Cape Codders and Islanders during the height of the pandemic.
INVESTMENT IN PREVENTATIVE CARE
Senator Cyr has been a champion for the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund as a member of the Legislature. This trust funds interventions for older adults living at home in Barnstable County. Funding for these initiatives has since lapsed, but Senator Cyr remains committed to re-funding this vital program.
Equity in Health Access
PROTECTING REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE
Senator Cyr strongly supports reproductive rights, including the ROE Act and the repeal of outdated state laws that could limit a woman's control over her reproductive health. In light of the Dobbs decision, Senator Cyr believes it's crucial to oppose ideological interference in health care decisions. Women should have the autonomy to make their own choices, and their private information should remain confidential between them and their doctor. In 2023, he proudly helped restore abortion access on Cape Cod and brought abortion services to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket for the first time.
ADVANCING MATERNAL HEALTH
Massachusetts has some of the best health outcomes in the country, but we have a glaring and persistent disparity in maternal health outcomes, especially when it comes to the experience of Black mothers. Senator Cyr pushed to expand access to care for all mothers and ameliorate the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis here in Massachusetts, along with many brilliant female colleagues in advocating for this vital legislation that is now law.
A PATH TO SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE
Senator Cyr supports a movement towards a single-payer health care system in the United States and Massachusetts. Simply put, our “sick care” system is broken, and we need new solutions. In 2017, Senator Cyr successfully secured passage of a single-payer benchmark study proposal as part of a larger health care bill passed by the Senate in a bipartisan 35-3 vote.
HIV PREVENTION
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a game changer in HIV prevention. Yet, while this life-saving medication reduces the risk of transmission by 99 percent, it has remained inaccessible for too many. In 2024, Senator Cyr worked to allow pharmacists to prescribe and dispense PrEP on a short-term basis, similar to what’s already allowed for contraceptives, significantly increasing the accessibility of this essential HIV prevention tool.
Aging with Dignity
DEMANDING QUALITY CARE FOR OLDER ADULTS
Quality care in long-term nursing facilities depends on a well-trained and well-resourced staff. Julian has introduced legislation to ensure quality care for older adults, recognizing that nursing facilities are only as good as the staff who operate them and that we should be able to trust those who care for our family members. His bill was included in omnibus long-term care legislation that was signed into law in 2024.
PROTECTING NURSING HOME RESIDENTS
Senator Cyr spearheaded an initiative in the Senate to mandate transparent and prompt reporting of COVID-19 cases among staff and residents in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. These facilities were the hardest hit during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 and continue to be at risk.
