Honolulu, HI – The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) has announced its endorsement of Dr. Josh Green for Governor of Hawaii.
“Lt. Governor Josh Green understands our fight to put patient care before profits,” NUHW President Sal Rosselli said, “and as an ER doctor who also works with the chronically homeless, Josh knows firsthand the importance of mental health care. Josh also recognizes the need to recruit and retain more mental health care workers, expand patient access to care, and finally start putting behavioral health care on par with primary health care. With Josh Green as governor, healthcare workers and their patients will have an ally advocating for them at the local, state, and federal levels at this critical time.”
“I’m especially honored to receive the endorsement of the National Union of Healthcare Workers,” Dr. Josh Green said, “because for years I’ve worked closely with mental health professionals providing needed care to patients across Hawaii. Before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, NUHW workers have been serving on the frontlines of one of Hawaii’s largest challenges, mental health care. They deserve our support, recognition, and gratitude.”
Josh Green is committed to supporting Hawaii’s mental health care workers and addressing the challenges facing Hawaii’s people and families by:
- Treating behavioral health as primary care
- Hiring and retaining more mental health experts and social workers
- Becoming a trauma informed state
- Expanding tele-health so more people have greater access to health care
“My union colleagues and I voted to endorse Dr. Josh Green for governor because we saw his sincere advocacy for patients and healthcare providers during his time as lieutenant governor,” said Tami Swonigan, an NUHW member who works as a clinical psychologist at Kaiser’s Waipio Medical Center. “When he was in the legislature, Josh supported community health centers that brought greater access to healthcare in Hawaii’s rural areas. Our state faces a critical shortage of mental health workers, so it’s important to have a governor who understands and takes action on these challenges.”
For more information on Josh Green’s priorities, visit https://joshgreenforhawaii.com/
The National Union of Healthcare Workers represents more than 16,000 healthcare workers in California and Hawaii, including more than 50 Kaiser mental health providers who provide treatment to 266,000 Kaiser enrollees at seven medical facilities and a call center on Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island.
Lt. Governor Josh Green’s candidacy for Governor of Hawaii has also been endorsed by:
- Hawaii Fire Fighters Association
- Hawaii Plumbers and Fitters Local 675
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Locals 1186, 1260, and 1357
- Hawaii Government Employees Association
- Hawaii State Teachers Association
- University of Hawaii Professional Assembly
- Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters
- ILWU Local 142
- International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Trades, Local 1 of Hawaii
- Operating Engineers Local 3
- Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association
- Maui Lodging and Tourism Association
- AFL-CIO
- UNITE HERE, Local 5
- Laborers’ International Union of North America, Local 368
- Hawaii Nurses Association/OPEIU
