SHELTON, WA – For the past 19 years, Andrea Welander, RN, has helped shepherd patients through what can be a daunting process as they come in for surgeries at Mason General Hospital. Through it all, she remains calm and positive, treating patients with care and respect because she feels deeply connected to this community. Mason Health is proud to name her the January Employee of the Month.

As a self-described “Shelton girl,” Welander loves being a nurse in the community where she grew up and later raised her own children. She graduated from Shelton High School in 1989 and obtained her undergraduate and nursing graduate degrees from Brigham Young University in Utah and Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, respectively. She started at Mason Health in the Medical Surgery department, but has worked in Outpatient Surgery for 13 years.

“I love the sense of community we have here,” she said. “I see a lot of people that I know, be it from high school, church or wherever. It’s comforting for patients to know who is taking care of them.”

Welander’s older sister was a nurse at Mason General Hospital, which inspired Welander to follow in her footsteps. Welander’s eldest daughter is also a nurse, her eldest son is a paramedic, and her three younger children attend school in Shelton. She also has two step-children. 

“My family is all here, and Shelton is home,” she said. “At work, policies may change, but I feel like our community-centered care has always remained the same. I feel very close to my community.”

Mason Health, Public Hospital District No. 1 of Mason County, is certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and is a licensed and accredited acute care hospital with a level four emergency trauma designation. There are more than 100 physicians on staff in 19 specialties. Mason Health now offers 3D Mammography Services.  For more information on 3D mammograms or to find a health care provider, visit www.MasonGeneral.com.

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