BREAKING CAMPAIGN NEWS
Mary Lou Hennrich, Founder and Former CEO of Care Oregon To Run For House District 46
Letter to the Editor from Patti Evans – March 2024
Mary Lou Hennrich, public health nurse and one of Oregon’s most-accomplished and progressive health leaders, announced today her candidacy for Oregon House District 46.
“I am delighted that Mary Lou is running for House of Representatives,” said Rep. Travis Nelson. “She has successfully championed many important health initiatives that have improved the lives of Oregonians—including helping to establish the Oregon Health Plan, the first School Based Health Center, requiring calorie menu labeling and creating physical education standards in public schools. We need Mary Lou’s ability to get things done in Salem!”
What Local Constituents From Mary Lou’s District (HD 46) Are Saying About Mary Lou’s Candidacy…
Letter to the Editor from Dave Hillmans – February 2024
I encourage all of you reading this letter, to join me in supporting Mary Lou Hennrich as our next Oregon House Representative for District 46. I have personally known Mary Lou for over 20 years as a neighbor, as a professional nurse and health expert, and as someone who is very passionate about our neighborhoods, our City, our County and our futures together.
There are many huge challenges ahead for all of us, but Mary Lou, with her years of broad health related experience and accomplishments, is someone who is truly in the “cat-bird” seat for advocating and/or establishing policies and programs that will certainly make a difference for all citizens. Her key words being passionate, progressive and persistent truly define her, and we need that leadership and experience in Salem as our representatives address current and future challenges, both known and unknown, that are ahead for all of us.
Please join me in supporting Mary Lou Hennrich for Oregon House District 46 in our upcoming May election.
Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor should be less than 300 words and The Southeast Examiner reserves the right to edit them for length or content.
As State Representative, Hennrich will continue to build on her extensive history of successful initiatives, which include:
- As Founder and first CEO of CareOregon, created OHP’s largest Medicaid Health Plan;
- As Deputy Director of the Multnomah County Health Department which established the first School-Based Health Center (SBHC) in Oregon–now grown to 70 centers throughout the state, providing care to thousands of students each year;
- As a volunteer, she helped organize the Multnomah County Nurses to be represented by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) and then served as Vice-President of their bargaining unit;
- As Director of the Oregon Public Health Institute (OPHI), Hennrich spearheaded the passage of three important laws:
- Reduced sale of junk food and sodas in schools by establishing nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold in Oregon public schools;
- Developed the first-ever physical education standards for Oregon public schools — requiring minimum weekly minutes of PE for all public-school students; and
- Established menu labeling for all menu items sold in chain restaurants having 15 or more outlets in Oregon or nationally. This subsequently became national law.
“As you can see, Mary Lou has an extensive track record of getting results. That’s why I encouraged her to put her skills to work for the people of House District 46,” said Rep. Thuy Tran (HD 45). “We are at a crucial time in our history with gun safety, health and climate change at the forefront,” continued Hennrich.
”As representative of HD 46, I am on a mission to pass policies that move Oregon forward to become a safer, more just and equitable home for all of us” she said.
In addition to Rep. Thuy Tran and Rep.Travis Nelson, Hennrich has already secured early endorsements from Senator Deb Patterson and former State Representatives Alissa KenyGuyer and Sheri Schouten.
Hennrich has lived in District 46, in the Mt. Tabor neighborhood since childhood and raised her two children there. The district encompasses Mt. Tabor, South Tabor, Lents, Brentwood Darlington and other neighborhoods in Southeast Portland.