08/28/2026
The Cooke County Democratic Party is sponsoring an informational Health Care Forum on September 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the lecture hall of the Leo and Mabel Scott Health Science Center at North Central Texas College. The panel discussion will feature Steven Shook, candidate for Texas 26th Congressional District, who currently serves as a critical care nurse practitioner. He will be joined by two additional health care experts: Dr. Patti Hamilton, whose specialty is maternal health care, and Dr. Claudette Fette, who is a recognized authority and author in the mental healthcare field.
Sherman Moore, Cooke County Democratic Party Chair, noted, “We believe that our democracy functions best when voters are well informed on issues that touch their lives. So this session is not intended as a partisan political rally but as an educational forum on one of the most critical issues facing Texans. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are encouraged to attend, bring questions, and learn, regardless of how they plan to vote. Even if our candidate doesn’t win, we will have served the public by providing information necessary for voters to make an informed decision.”
Candidate Shook earned his associate degree in nursing from Tarrant County College, his Bachelor of Science in nursing from Texas Tech (graduating summa cm laude), and his Master of Science in nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington.
As an acute care nurse practitioner, candidate Shook treats some of the sickest patients in the hospital and thus knows firsthand what happens when people who cannot afford care delay treatment, ration medication, or struggle to access the services they need. His work has also included humanitarian medical aid in Kenya and Tanzania, where he saw how access to care can determine life outcomes across communities.
Shook pointed out, “I’m running on a ‘People Over Politics’” platform focused on expanding healthcare access, lowering prescription drug costs, strengthening rural hospitals, supporting public education, rebuilding infrastructure, and addressing the rising cost of living.
Dr. Patti Hamilton will join the forum to address the crisis in maternal healthcare that Texas women are facing, especially in rural areas. She is Professor Emeritus at Texas Woman’s University, where she taught in the nursing doctoral program from 1988 until 2008. She has also served as the Dean of the Graduate School at Midwestern University and as visiting professor at the medical school at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.
A long-time advocate for women and children’s health, Dr. Hamilton is the author of numerous articles in her field, as well as a book, Health Care Consumerism. She has also directed significant studies on topics such as teen pregnancies in Texas and mortality rate increases in American hospitals. In addition, she has served on the Texas Nursing Workforce Committee, which advises the Texas Legislature regarding nursing supply-and- demand issues. Although Dr. Hamilton is officially retired, she maintains a research lab at TWU and will gladly provide information related to the health of mothers and children in Texas.
The third member of the panel is Dr. Claudette Fette, an accomplished occupational therapist and author of the book, No Saints Here: A Cautionary Tale of Mental Illness, Health, and the Costs of Ignorance in the Lone Star State. Dr. Fette has worked in the mental health field for nearly three decades, including in a psychiatric hospital, homeless shelters, schools, and community settings. Currently, she is a professor at Texas Women’s University, teaching mental health in the School of Occupational Therapy and serving on the boards of numerous professional organizations.
In addition to her professional work, Dr. Fette knows the tragedy of mental illness firsthand, having lost her own son, Aaron, to it. When he died in 2017, he left behind an unfinished memoir, which she transcribed and turned into a chronicle of his struggles. No Saints Here interweaves his writings with her perspective as his mom and then overlays both stories with evidence-based insights from her professional training. The result is an examination of the critical crossroads in education, mental health care, and the judicial system, as well as a deeply personal story.
"I look forward to this opportunity to interact with the community and learn about the struggles real people are facing every day in our great state," said Mr. Shook.
