WS Chronicle

Next month Winston-Salem native and CEO of United Health Services, LaShun Huntley, will look to add state representative to his list of accomplishments when he faces off against local educator Dr. Amber Baker in the primary election to represent District 72 in the N.C. House of Representatives. 

Huntley, who is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University and Walden University, has served as chief executive officer of United Health Centers since 2010. Huntley said he was encouraged by several individuals to run for the seat left vacant by Derwin Montgomery, who has announced his candidacy for Congress, preventing him from running for re-election in the House of Representatives. “After praying on it over the weekend, I felt confident and comfortable; I felt I could really make a difference on the state level,” Huntley said.

Before taking the reins of United Health Centers, Huntley worked as a teacher in the local school system. He said working in the health field, he understands how policymaking works and how it can impact the community. Huntley said he understands the outcomes when it comes to making policies and laws. “I’ve been doing that for ten years at United Health Centers, writing policies for the organization, and I do know it can change people’s lives,” said Huntley.

When discussing his platform, Huntley listed Medicaid expansion, increasing funding for education, and job creation as his top priorities. He said Medicaid expansion is at the top of his list because it will help lower healthcare costs for everyone and improve the quality of life. As a former teacher, Huntley said he knows what it’s like to be overworked and underpaid. He mentioned being underpaid was one of the major reasons why he decided to leave teaching.  

“To me, Medicaid expansion is something that’s big on my heart because everybody needs healthcare and without it, it’s hard to be productive, as a community member, as a father, or even as a son, it’s just difficult,” he said. “And the same goes for education. I taught school and I know what type of salary you get. It’s hard to maintain yourself or provide for your family.”

Although he’s still fairly new to politics, Huntley said his record of bringing about change is what makes him the best candidate to represent District 72. He then went on to discuss a mentoring program he started while working as a teacher, and how he helped expand services at United Health Services. 

“As long as I can remember, I’ve been involved with change,” Huntley continued. “My mom always told me that there’s always a solution to a challenge. So in that arena of changing people’s lives, I’ve been doing that for a while. At United Health Centers, we started with one center and we grew it from one center to three centers, from three staff members to over 50 staff members. So that’s a change in people’s lives, that’s healthcare and employment. So I’ve done all those things and I will continue to do that.

“From me, the people can expect someone who is going to get the job done. My track record speaks for itself. I’m not just a leader who talks about it, I’m a leader who gets things done.”

For more information on Huntley’s campaign, visit www.huntley4NC.com. 

The 2020 primary election will be held on March 3. Early voting will begin on Feb. 13. For more information and a complete 2020 election schedule, visit http://www.forsyth.cc/Elections/.