Kentucky Nurses Association speaks out against racial violence and provides actionable steps to address the issues of racism, inequality and their impact on health and health outcomes

The Kentucky Nurses Association speaks out against racial violence and provides actionable steps to address the issues of racism, inequality and their impact on health and health outcomes

 

Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Rayshard Brooks and George Floyd.  These are just a few whose deaths have sparked national outrage.  They are gone because of unthinkable racial violence and disregard for life representing the antithesis of nursing.   Nurses do not stand for, support or tolerate such acts.  Let us start by being very clear and intentional about one salient point.  No one deserves to die because of the color of his or her skin. Black Lives Matter.

 

If the Kentucky Nurses Association is to stay true to its vision, “To be the voice for nurses and work for a healthier Kentucky,” we must state our position and then let you know about the actions we will take to combat this public health crisis of inequality and its impact on health outcomes. 

 

The tentacles of racism extend into realms that create injustices and systematically endanger people of color.  According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,

 

“this history of individual and structural racism spanning generations denies opportunity to people of color and robs them of their physical and mental health. The life expectancy of people of color is often a decade or more shorter than their white neighbors just a few blocks away, an injustice that has not moved in generations. These health disparities, and often the diseases themselves, stem in part from the stress of being silenced, ignored, oppressed and targeted for violence—too often by those institutions and individuals entrusted to protect all people.”  

 KNA fully agrees.

 Nursing care embraces the notion that improvement requires a plan.  Just as we plan for the care of those we serve, we must plan for the care and the healing of our community to prevent the continued spread of harm and violence.   The Kentucky Nurses Association urges all 90,000 nurses across our Commonwealth to use their influence as the largest and most trusted profession to implement our plan of action and care for our communities:

 

• Encourage all citizens, especially nurses, to vote for candidates that support actions and policy changes that will ensure focus on disparities in the African American and other populations of color;
• Participate in development of and provide training for nurses regarding racial disparities that includes the history regarding the issues and offer assessment tools for improved outcomes;
• Support development and implementation of cultural competency training, bias training and disparity education in every Kentucky nursing school curriculum;
• Promote recruitment of African American nurses and other nurses of color to serve on boards and commissions and leadership positions within our organization as well as others that focus on health;
• Promote recruitment of nurses of color to seek employment as school nurses;
• Serve as a resource for nurses, other healthcare professionals and organizations regarding racism and cultural competency especially as it relates to public health, healthcare in general and the health of our state and local communities and
• Promote recruitment and mentoring of nurses of color in nursing programs.

 

We are nurses and we will do this.  Kentuckians are counting on us.

 

Ruth Carrico, PhD, DNP, APRN, CIC, FSHEA
President, Board of Directors
Kentucky Nurses Association

 

Delanor Manson, MA, BSN, RN
Chief Executive Officer
Kentucky Nurses Association