Addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion: A response of professional nursing organizations to the future of nursing: 2020-2030 recommendations.

One way in which professional nursing organizations have chosen to address the social determinants of health (SDoH) is through policy work focused on diversity, health equity and anti-racism activities. The recent report, Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity (FON 2020-2030), calls on professional nursing organizations and/or nursing coalitions to focus on addressing the SDoH to mitigate health inequities, including a focus on addressing racism and promoting practices to ensure the diversity of the nursing workforce. While these recommendations highlight issues of high importance to nursing and the broader society, they assume that professional nursing organizations or coalitions have not been sufficiently engaged in this work to date. Our goal was to better understand the current and/or ongoing activities of professional nursing organizations around their anti-racism work of diversity, health equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities recommended in the FON 2020-2030 report. To address this goal, we conducted a needs assessment of professional nursing organizations to document their DEI activities and the timing of these activities relevant to the recommendations in the report. The 26 responding organizations indicated they had been engaged in work addressing DEI issues for periods ranging from 4 months to 51 years. Minimal funding was the major barrier to advancing this work. Creating a vigorous shared DEI agenda across the profession, as suggested in the FON 2020-2030 report, will require input from nurses across the profession, as well as identification of resources to support this critical endeavor.

Driving toward a culture shift: Case studies of social mission in nursing education.

BACKGROUND: Nursing schools need to provide students with the appropriate tools to develop competencies and resources to actualize moral courage to advance health equity and center social mission. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe six nursing programs that exemplify a variety of ways that social mission goals are pursued in different contexts. METHOD: Using a case study approach, we selected nursing schools that excelled in at least one of the following social mission domains: education program, community engagement, governance, diversity & inclusion, institutional culture & climate and research. We conducted video interviews with the administration, faculty and students. FINDINGS: Main themes were: (1) central university/college commitment; (2) allocation of school resources; (3) faculty buy-in; (4) community partnerships; and, (5) an institutional culture of inclusion. DISCUSSION: While each school approaches social mission differently, there are commonalities across cases including a number of necessary factors for schools to advance their social mission goals.

Public Health Nursing Practice in the Affordable Care Act Era: A National Survey.

OBJECTIVES: To explore public health nurses' knowledge, perceptions, and practices under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). DESIGN AND SAMPLE: A cross-sectional, web-based survey was completed by a sample of 1,143 public health nurses (PHNs) in the United States. MEASURES: Descriptive statistics were analyzed for variables related to general knowledge and perception of the ACA and for the extent of involvement in activities related to the implementation of the ACA. Qualitative analysis was conducted on free text comments to two open-ended questions about current and future PHNs involvement in the ACA. RESULTS: Approximately 45% of PHNs reported changes in their daily work due to the ACA. PHNs reported being very or somewhat involved in these activities of the ACA: integration of primary care and public health (62%), provision of clinical preventive services (60.3%), care coordination (55.4%), patient navigation (55.3%), establishment of private-public partnerships (55.3%), population health strategies (53.6%), population health data assessment and analysis (53.8%), community health assessments (49%), involvement in medical homes (37.8%), provision of maternal and child health home visiting services (32.1%), and involvement in Accountable Care Organizations (29.2%). CONCLUSION: PHNs are making substantial contributions to implementation of the ACA.

Community Engagement: Leveraging Resources to Improve Health Outcomes.

Improving the health of communities requires creating partnerships and leveraging partner resources. Engagement with key stakeholders or partners who engage in collaborative community needs assessments has been linked to improved community health outcomes. Understanding how to engage community stakeholders, identify mutual goals, and establish a shared vision can maximize resources to improve the community's health. We applied our experience to an existing model for community engagement and leveraging of resources to improve the community's health and translate the model to a community case.