25th District House Position 1
Dawn Morrell, RN
Dawn Morrell was first elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 2002 and served until 2010 when she lost by less than 40 votes. Now we have a chance to get her reelected! As a State Representative, Dawn fought passionately for patients and nurses serving as Vice Chair of the House Health Care Committee and House Majority Caucus Vice-Chair Democratic Caucus. She is an influential and respected voice in the Olympia, and will be a key ally in WSNA’s fight for safe staffing.
As a member of the current nurse staffing committee at her hospital, Dawn testified in Olympia supporting the nurse staffing legislation to hold hospitals accountable in providing safe RN staffing. Her testimony as a staff nurse was instrumental in the passage of the law to protect nurses from mandatory overtime in 2002 and her leadership as a Representative was instrumental in passing staffing legislation in 2008.
Dawn has been a critical care nurse for 20 years, and currently works at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup. Previous to that, she worked as a childbirth educator for 15 years. A longtime member of WSNA, she has served as a local unit leader, a member of the WSNA-PAC Board and was elected to the WSNA Legislative and Health Policy Council in 1999.
As a staff nurse, Dawn knows firsthand the issues important to nurses in the delivery of safe and quality patient care. She has been a champion on issues such as nurse staffing,
safe patient handling, uninterrupted meal and rest breaks in Olympia.
— Full list of WSNA PAC Endorsements —
28th District House Position 2
Representative Tami Green, RN
Tami Green showed her commitment, support and leadership for nurses in 2006 with her leadership in passing Safe Patient Handling Legislation, the best law on safe lifting in the nation. She was the prime sponsor of our bills on safe staffing and prohibition of mandatory overtime in 2012.
Tami has proudly served as a registered nurse for the past thirty years. Since living in Washington, she has worked at the Western State Hospital and the Child Study and Treatment Center, caring for Washington’s most severely mentally ill adults and children, and Good Samaritan Behavioral Healthcare in Puyallup. Currently, she is employed in St. Joseph Medical Center (Tacoma).
She currently serves on the Commerce & Labor, Health Care & Wellness, Audit Review & Oversight, Human Services, and Rules committees. She has been a key supporter of our uninterrupted rest and meal breaks legislation and has been an outspoken leader on previous issues like mandatory overtime.
Raised in an active-duty military family, Tami understands the importance of commitment, community and service. She brings her extensive experience as a mother, grandmother, nurse, and community activist to the State Legislature to address such vital issues as health care, public schools, and family wage jobs.
— Full list of WSNA PAC Endorsements —
44th District House Position 2
Mary McNaughton, RN
A nurse, veteran, former small business owner, mother of five daughters, and now grandmother, Mary McNaughton has dedicated her life to healthy families and communities. As an Oncology and Surgical nurse at Swedish Edmonds Hospital since 2002, Mary provides advanced care for her patients from pre-surgery prep to chemotherapy treatments. In addition to direct patient care, Mary has led the way for hospital reforms that improve conditions for nurses and ensure quality care for patients.
Mary has also become a strong advocate for decreasing toxins in our air, food and water after taking an environmental health class at UW-Bothell taught by Karen Bowman, MN, RN, COHN-S, WSNA’s Occupational & Environmental Health Specialist. She has supported the efforts of the Take Back Your Meds coalition (which includes WSNA) working to create a statewide program for the safe return and disposal of left-over medicines.
As a staff nurse and WSNA member, Mary knows why issues like safe staffing, meal and rest breaks, and nurse fatigue are so important to the safety of our patients. Mary knows why a strong health safety net and funding for public health are so critical to the future of this state. Adding her voice to the legislature will be an important step forward in WSNA’s Campaign for Patient Safety.
— Full list of WSNA PAC Endorsements —
6th District House Position 2
Dennis Dellwo
Attorney Dennis Dellwo has a long and successful career in law and community service. A current Plan Commission Member for the City of Spokane, Dennis served under two Governors for the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board for 12 years. He was elected seven times to the State Legislature in Spokane, serving from 1983 through 1996. Among his accomplishments, he chaired both the Health Care and the Banking/Insurance Committees, served on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, and was a ranking member of the Law and Justice Committee.
As a State Representative in the 1990s, Dennis helped author groundbreaking health care reform legislation in Washington State, which brought coverage to thousands of families who had none before. He also worked to make it illegal for insurers to discriminate on the basis of age, race, or gender. He is especially proud of legislation that required insurers to pay for mammograms for Washington women.
Dennis cites his wife—Lynnette Vehrs, an active WSNA member currently serving on the Legislative and Health Policy Council—as a trusted advisor on issues relating to nursing and health care. As an instructor at Washington State University College of Nursing, Lynette provides expertise on both patient care and nursing workforce training.
— Full list of WSNA PAC Endorsements —
