United Nurses & Allied Professionals endorses Joseph Shekarchi

The United Nurses and Allied Professionals, Rhode Island’s largest healthcare
workers’ union, representing more than 5,500 nurses and health professionals across Rhode
Island, today endorsed Speaker of the House Joseph Shekarchi for re-election for State
Representative in House District 23 (Warwick).

“Joe Shekarchi has been there for healthcare workers, and now we are there for him,” said
UNAP President Lynn Blais, RN. “Joe listened to and thoughtfully considered input from a
range of stakeholders, including nurses, doctors, support staff, and healthcare experts, when
crafting the state’s budget.”

Blais, who accompanied Shekarchi on a recent visit to Kent Hospital in Warwick, cited his
leadership in the budget negotiations, which included $45 million to support the state’s hospitals,
as well as an increase in Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals and investments in workforce
training. This helped lead to a decision by Care New England to remain independently operated.

“Joe Shekarchi took care of our immediate needs, but also had the foresight to plan for the
future,” said Blais. “He made sure that facilities like Kent Hospital are able to continue caring for
the community, but he also realizes that the healthcare industry is facing major staffing shortages
and moved swiftly to include funding in the budget for workforce development.”

At the visit to Kent Hospital, Shekarchi also earned the praise of Patricia Criner, RN, president
of UNAP Local 5008 at Kent Hospital, which represents more than 1,200 employees.

“We offer our thanks to Speaker Shekarchi and we credit him for making sure Kent Hospital was
a priority in the state budget by securing ARPA funds and higher Medicaid reimbursements to
stabilize Care New England’s finances to allow it to continue as a stand-alone non-profit,” said
Criner. “We can all be proud of a successful outcome, which was based, in part, on substantial
funding from the state legislature.”