Rose Danese
UWCHLAN — Rose Danese, challenger for the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania State House District 155 (Uwchlan Township) accepted an important title in the middle of her campaign: “Essential Worker.”
A medical lab technician with more than 30 years of experience, Danese now helps in testing patient samples for COVID-19. Her work tells doctors which of their patients need to be quarantined and helps the government know the true scale of the outbreak in our state. This is essential work as Pennsylvania and the nation battle the worst pandemic in our lifetimes.
Danese said she welcomes the role and the additional importance of her work, because she is no stranger to fighting medical emergencies gripping our community. Her campaign is built on the promise to responsibly, humanely, and scientifically push back the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania.
Just before the coronavirus outbreak, Danese had opened up and told her supporters why the opioid epidemic was the central message in her campaign: a close family member’s struggle with addiction and recovery. The message she has for Harrisburg is to prevent opioid abuse with smart drug laws and treat it better with proven psychological counseling techniques.
Danese recently told supporters: “COVID-19 has been a huge challenge to all of us, we are incredibly lucky to have Penn Chester County Hospital, I am amazed by all my fellow Chester County employees giving their all every single day and night.” We don’t have the luxury of forgetting the opioid epidemic. Because opioid addiction threatens our families, our communities, our way of life — and politicians aren’t doing enough to stop it. Maybe they don’t know how to. Maybe they don’t think it’s important enough. I’m running to fix that.”
But while other candidates are using time in self-isolation to call donors and boost their media presence, Danese’s long hours at the lab testing for COVID-19 has threatened to sideline her challenger campaign.
Thankfully, she said, keeping in touch with her grassroots network through Live videos on her Facebook page (holistic health discussions and impromptu open mics are common) has energized enough supporters, friends, and family to organize a mass mailing going out this week to voters introducing the candidate ahead of the delayed primary election on June 2.
“I think our message will resonate with people, especially now,” she said. “We just saw a small medical news story snowball into something that threatens all of us. And guess what? That’s what’s happening with the opioid epidemic. People are more aware of how that happens now, so I’m optimistic.”
Editor’s Note: The above article was submitted by the Danese Campaign and edited only for grammar and editorial style. The Times welcomes all submissions from candidates/campaigns.
