Women’s health topic of Oct. 18 session in Port Townsend
Published 12:01 am Monday, October 6, 2014
PORT TOWNSEND — The importance of women taking charge of their health care and learning how to handle emergency situations will be addressed from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18.
Registered nurse Dana Michaelsen and Anne Parsons, disaster services coordinator for the Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the American Red Cross, will speak at the meeting of the Port Townsend branch of the Association of American University Women.
Current and prospective members and the public are welcome to attend the meeting at the Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St.
Refreshments will be served at 9:30 a.m. before the presentation.
Medical care rights
Michaelsen will address issues of accessing the medical care that is right for each individual and will discuss who to call in an emergency and what constitutes an emergency.
Parsons will talk about community preparedness and direct disaster relief.
Michaelsen has been a registered nurse for 47 years. She received a diploma in nursing from Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Ore., a bachelor’s in nursing from Southern Oregon State College, and a master’s from U.S. Command and General Staff College.
She has experience in almost every aspect of nursing from neo-natal intensive care, psychiatry, labor/delivery, and medical-surgical to administration, community outreach and litigation.
For 14 years, Michaelsen wrote a column in the weekly Port Townsend Leader titled “Dear Dana,” which was devoted to answering questions related to physical and emotional health issues.
As a senior officer in the Army Reserves and a lieutenant colonel in the Washington Army National Guard, her emphasis was on statewide health teaching and illness/injury prevention.
She most recently has worked with Allied Health Advocates in Seattle.
Parsons is a member of AmeriCorps, who has served in southwest Washington state and Ecuador.
A native of LaCenter, she earned an associate in arts degree from Clark College in 2009 and a bachelor’s in anthropology from Eastern Washington University in 2012.
AAUW membership is open to women who hold associate or higher degrees from accredited schools.
For more information, visit www.pt-wa.aauw.net or contact Anne Englander at 360 390-5896.
