Helen Hanson Runs for Office
People know me as a direct care worker – a C.N.A. working as a personal care assistant in Maine’s home-based care system. But now I want to be known as an elected official. I am running for Maine’s House of Representatives from House District 55. That includes the towns of Albion, Benton (part), China and the unorganized territory of Unity Plantation.
I am running because I want to keep the work on streamlining Maine’s home-based care system moving forward. I am also running because I am a direct care worker who deals with the problems and pitfalls of our work each and every day.
I know what it is like to live off low wages, have no health benefits, have no safety net whatsoever, and support a family. I’m very thankful that my husband has a job that provides our health coverage, has a better wage than mine, and has paid overtime when he works over time. If my husband’s job did not provide those things, I would not be working as a PCA, providing essential care to a lady that is paralyzed and living in her home. I’d be just another of those horrible direct care workforce statistics, a skilled worker who had to leave because she could not make it on her low wages.
How did I get involved in politics, you ask? I trace it back to the Direct Care Alliance, a wonderful national organization that is working hard improve working conditions for direct care workers. I got involved with DCA in May 2008, as a member of the DCA’s Voices Institute Inaugural Class. Since that experience, I’ve been very active in Maine, working to bring respect, better wages and health insurance to direct care workers in my state. I’ve been involved with Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services in what has come to be known as The LEAN Process, established in an effort to make home-based care more efficient. As a representative of DCA, I’ve also had many visits with Maine’s Congressional Delegation on Capitol Hill. When I see our representatives here in Maine, I always tell them who I am and thank them for their support.
I’ve also had a hand in crafting legislation that would bring health coverage to Maine’s direct care workforce. Because of Maine’s fiscal climate, the bill was not successful. With this came many opportunities to talk to leaders in Maine’s Legislature as well as testifying before Health and Human Services, the Insurance and Financial Services, and Appropriations Committees. All these opportunities were chances to make the issues of Maine’s direct care workforce known. I take all the chances I get to speak out.
On the broader issues, I am running to work with government to bring good jobs back to central Maine. We used to have a lot of manufacturing here when I was a kid. Now, most of it is gone. Those manufacturing jobs provided good pay, benefits, and retirement savings. You only had to work one job to make ends meet, not two or three without benefits. I want to work to bring those jobs back.
I’m running for all of these reasons, and humbly received endorsements recently from the Maine AFL-CIO and MSEA-SEIU. I’d like to thank DCA for empowering me and helping me discover my own voice. I’m proud to be a resident of Maine and I’m honored to be running for the Maine House of Representatives.
I knew at VI that you were destine for bigger things. I am so proud of you. I wish I lived in Maine so I could be part of your campaign. The best of luck to you.
Good for Helen I hope you succeed! I understand what you are saying Iowa Caregivers has fuel my fire keep talking to my legislators and anyone else who will listen, but have thought about running myself, not sure I have that much fire! Cindy Ramer
I meant to say have not thought about running.
Helen, I hope you succeed, you have such a postive out look and determation to help the direct care workers. We do need a voice for the direct care workers. Iowa caregivers association has made a different for me. and for the direct care workers in Iowa I have learned to get involved with my legislators. and talk to direct care workers.