CANTON, Mass., May 8, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts Nurses Association, the state's largest union and professional association for registered nurses and health care professionals, announces its endorsement and strong support for Paul Feeney, Democratic candidate for the Bristol and Norfolk State Senate Seat.
"Paul Feeney truly understands and supports registered nurses and front-line health care professionals," said MNA President Donna Kelly-Williams, RN, who works as an obstetrical and neonatal nurse at Cambridge Hospital. "As a union leader and a former Foxborough selectman and campaign official for Senator Bernie Sanders, Feeney is a progressive force who stands up for workers and the interests of all Massachusetts citizens. He will fight alongside the MNA on Beacon Hill to make sure our laws enable nurses to provide safe and effective care to every patient."
Feeney is seeking the state senate seat being vacated by Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole. Timilty has been a strong advocate for nurses at the State House and the lead Senate sponsor on An Act Requiring Health Care Employers to Develop and Implement Programs to Prevent Workplace Violence (S. 1374). Feeney has pledged to support nurse efforts to improve patient care through the state legislature. These include safe patient limits for nurses, workplace violence prevention and safe patient handling bills.
A resident of Foxborough, Feeney is the legislative director for IBEW Local 2222. He served on the Foxborough Board of Selectmen, was the state coordinator for the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, and was Timilty's first chief of staff.
"Our state legislature can and should respond to the concerns of workers and the middle class, especially the registered nurses who are on the front lines of health care advocating for their patients," Feeney said. "If elected State Senator, I will work closely with the MNA to ensure that nurses have a strong voice at the State House. Nurses provide the vast majority of direct care to patients and know from that experience the ways in which Massachusetts needs to strengthen its health care laws. Hard-working nurses are truly the backbone of patient care and I am humbled by their support. "
Karen Coughlin, the Vice President of the MNA, is a registered nurse from Mansfield who works at Taunton State Hospital. She lives in the Bristol and Norfolk Senate District and supports Feeney's candidacy.
"Nurses need strong supporters at the State House to protect our patients and our profession," Coughlin said. "While I'm caring for patients at Taunton State Hospital, I will feel stronger knowing that Paul Feeney has my back. He will fight for laws that make sure I can provide the kind of safe, high-quality care my patients deserve."
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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
