Dear Constituents & Friends,

In February, with deep sadness and profound love for this job, I announced my decision to not run for a third term. In both my private and professional life, I saw the struggles that families face and this convinced me to run for office. Over the past several years, I’ve met with thousands of Oregonians and have been deeply honored to be trusted with their stories, struggles and successes. I have proudly championed public health policies, including equitable access to physical and behavioral healthcare, gun violence prevention, and policies to support frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic. Throughout my legislative career, I also continued to see patients and these dual roles as elected leader and healthcare provider took a toll on me. 

I will forever be honored by the trust the constituents of House District 37 placed in me to be their voice over the past 4 years. I deeply appreciated the meetings and conversations I have had with so many of you across the district on issues important to you and the many advocates on healthcare and health systems. It has been so rewarding to get to know you personally and professionally. Sharing time with each other is one way of showing how much we care about each other and the people we serve.

It is clear there are many people and organizations committed to improving the lives of Oregonians. As I reflect over the last four years on the discussions I’ve had during my time in the Oregon Legislature, I keep returning to a common theme of how we take great pride in making things better. Because of this, we are truly stronger together.

No doubt, The Oregon Legislature is a special place.  A place where people with ideas on every side of the issues come together to find solutions. A place where ninety elected officials, their staff, legal counsel and many others spend countless hours to solve our state’s problems. It was an honor of a lifetime to be a part of that process. There are many policies I championed using my professional experience as a nurse caring for our most vulnerable community members, our seniors and disabled and those living with mental illness. For this last newsletter however, I want to celebrate Medicaid expansion efforts. 

I originally ran for office in 2018 to protect Medicaid coverage for the vulnerable populations that depend on it. It is fitting that one of the first bills I spoke to on the house floor in 2019 was to fund Medicaid and the final bill I carried on the house floor in 2022 was to ensure continuity of care for the same vulnerable Oregonians who may lose healthcare coverage when the public health emergency ends. I went on to co-chair the Bridge Health Plan Task force which wrapped up this month after nine months of work. The focus of the work is to continue the progress our state has made towards eliminating coverage inequities and create an affordable insurance option for lower income people who will not qualify for Oregon Health Plan when the public health emergency ends. The report is hot off the press this week: FBHCP Report Final Recommendations 12.20.22 clean (oregonlegislature.gov)

As chair of the task force I led with the same values I brought as chair of the House Healthcare Committee. It is also the same values I led with as a healthcare clinician: the value of human dignity. As a family nurse practitioner, I’ve learned a lot about what’s important to people; listening to their dreams and fears, sharing their faith and giving them hope. I see the emotional toll that living without health insurance has on people. They lose sleep. They feel stressed at all times. They worry about seeking care because they are terrified of costs. They ration their medication.

Nurses have a long history as social justice advocates. Nurses see public health crises in our work. To curb the suffering we see everyday, we move out into the world where these crises begin and strive to prevent our patients from ever becoming sick or injured in the first place. To me, that means continuing to show up until every Oregonian has accessible, quality, affordable healthcare. It's why I ran for office and why I was honored to have served as chair of the house healthcare committee especially during a pandemic

Over the last four years I have reminded many that on any day, our lives can be flipped upside down by a diagnosis or accident, regardless of who you are. Human frailty is nonpartisan, unbiased and knows no demographic boundaries. Although my days as a state representative are ending, I will remain invested in the work to create a system where everyone can access healthcare including behavioral healthcare and reproductive healthcare. We have the resources, intelligence and talent to accomplish this goal. Oregon has led the nation in healthcare reform, daring to make improvements that other states envy, but we need to push ourselves further. It won’t happen easily or quickly, but it is possible and it is necessary. 

Thank you for all that you do in your community, and thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life for the past four years. My retirement from the legislature is not a retirement from advocacy. I will continue speaking out on issues important to nurses, patients and families. This will be my last newsletter but always feel free to email me at [email protected].

As the year comes to a close, I  hope you take time to reflect and spend time with loved one. 

In Unity, 

Rachel Prusak