Interview: MaryAnne Lindeblad

WSNA has been working over the past year with the Health Care Authority, legislative leaders and state policy makers to link the effective implementation of nurse staffing committees with hospital safety net funding. Key to that effort is MaryAnne Lindeblad, head of Medicaid for the state and a nurse. She shares a profession and a passion with WSNA and the nurses we represent.

Those were the opening words in a recent conversation with MaryAnne Lindeblad, BSN, MPH, successful government policy maker, administrator and director of Washington’s Medicaid program. She went on to talk about nursing and how her background as a nurse informs everything she does.

MaryAnne, your CV says that you have a BSN and a master’s degree in public health and you are the director of Medicaid… is there a link here?

It is likely that I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if I hadn’t started my career as a registered nurse. I was introduced to nursing by my first boyfriend’s mother. I didn’t know much about it at the time, but I did know that I would graduate from college with not only a job but also a career path. I never imagined the diverse opportunities nursing would provide.

Nursing offered a huge open door to all of the career options I have taken along the way, including mental health, long-term care, Assistant Secretary at the DSHS, private sector health plan, public employees program and my current role as Medicaid Director. I’ve led a varied career in Medicaid, and in my spare time, I helped to establish two free clinics in Olympia, pre-Affordable Care Act days.

Do you think that your background as a nurse gives you a unique perspective on Medicaid and how the program and team should be supported?

Yes. I believe health care is a right for all and that access and quality care are essential to the well-being of all individuals and families. Considering the primary needs of the individual and family first and then planning the program from there is the framework that drives my policy work.

Has your nursing background influenced the way you make decisions today?

Yes, all day and every day. The nursing process I learned in college—assessing, diagnosing, planning, implementing and evaluating—I use in working with people and programs. It is such a consistent guide to successful management of patients and policy.

The nursing shortage is talked about frequently, and in response, many allied health groups are trying to expand their scope of practice. Medical assistants and community health workers specifically come to mind. What do you think about that?

It’s here to stay. There are not enough RNs to do everything, and we should be utilizing RNs to plan and supervise care and provide specialty care. As long as the training and supervision are there, I don’t have a problem with these expanded roles.

And finally, if you had to name a personal nurse hero, who would it be?

Anyone who is a nurse is my hero, no matter what setting they work in. Nurses serve a unique role in the delivery of health care and are the linkage between health care and health, both at the patient level and at the community level.