John Lawn elected to 10th Middlesex District
By Riley Ohlson
Associate Director, Legislation and Government Affairs
| John Lawn |
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When state Rep. Peter Koutoujian was appointed Middlesex County sheriff in January, the MNA lost a legislator who really understood nurses’ issues, having voted for Safe RN Staffing twice. So it was important to elect a new representative who would be a strong advocate for quality patient care. Luckily for the MNA, John Lawn threw his hat into the ring to be the next representative from the 10th Middlesex which includes parts of Waltham, Newton and Watertown.
Lawn is a Watertown city councilor who owns a small business in Waltham. He comes from a family of RNs; his wife is an MNA member at Tufts Medical Center and his sister, mother and mother-in-law are all RNs. Consequently, Lawn really understands the crises RNs face today from the dangerous practices of unsafe staffing and mandatory overtime to workplace violence.
“My wife’s experience at the bedside gives me valuable perspective when it comes to nursing issues and how important safe RN staffing is to patient safety,” Lawn said. “I saw how RNs were willing to go to the brink of a strike at Tufts Medical Center to make sure their patients stay safe, and I want to do everything I can to pass legislation so nurses can spend their time on the bedside and not on the picket line. I look forward to going to Beacon Hill to work hard for my communities and for the health care issues important to the RNs and patients of this state.”
Lawn ran a strong campaign in a tough field and the MNA was proud to stand beside him, helping to get his message out. We are excited about working with him as we carry on the fight to improve the quality of patient care in the commonwealth.
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