Rep. Salinas has served on the legislature since 2017 and served on the Behavioral Health Committee.  She worked to increase access to health care; prevent bankruptcy from medical debt; and guarantee Oregon workers have access to paid family and medical leave.  Her work on supporting LPCs and LMFTs getting medicare reimbursement rights is vital, and your vote is important in this tight race!

Rep. Rob Nosse has long been a strong advocate of mental health issues in Oregon.  He served as the head of the Behavioral Health Committee until 2022, when he was promoted to head of the Health Committee (which is now overseeing both physical and mental health issues). Multnomah County gave him an award as "Behavioral Heath Hero" in 2022.  He championed HB 3046 which is vital to access to mental health care and holds insurance companies to providing better access to services.  He is also the champion of our "Bill of Rights" for mental health providers in audits by insurance companies.  

Former Speaker of the House, Tina Kotek has long been a friend of behavioral health providers. Having been the longest serving speaker in Oregon's history, she received the 2013 State Legislator of the Year Award from the American Psychological Association Practice Organization (APAPO) in recognition of her ongoing support of prescriptive authority for psychologists and her critical involvement toward the passage of the Coordinated Care Organization legislation, which lead the country in a pilot Medicaid reform project.  She strongly advocated for providers and for clients' increased access to behavioral health care when Family Care closed in 2017 and has worked to expand Medicaid coverage to include more families during the pandemic. Of all three candidates for governor, she most strongly supports the interests of our profession.  We strongly recommend that mental health providers support her campaign to ensure continued support for our interests. This is a tight race and your vote will count!

A major focus of Tawna’s work has been in the area of domestic violence. Prior to joining NAYA, she was a domestic violence advocate at the Bradley Angle House. Tawna is the founder of a nationally recognized Native American domestic violence intervention and prevention program that has successfully served thousands of Native American families. Tawna has been active at the state level as well, serving on the Oregon Domestic and Sexual Violence Advisory Board.
 

Tawna is also a personal and professional leader in the area of child welfare and foster care. Tawna in her own life has helped raise more than 18 foster kids, kids who attended schools in the District including Humbolt, Sabin, Beaumont, Grant, Jefferson, and Rigler. She has also been active in state policy making, serving on the Oregon Family Services Review Commission and Oregon Child Welfare Advisory Commission.