Abstract

Creating the Pledge

The Pledge in Practice

References

Vitae

Abstract
Last year, the Organization of Nurse Leaders (ONL), which represents nurse leaders in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Vermont, worked with the New England Regional Black Nurses Association (NERBNA) to create the Nurse’s Pledge to Champion Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity. This article details the development of the pledge.

Following the death of George Floyd in May 2020 and the national spotlight on social injustice, ONL felt compelled to act, but was challenged by the lack of diversity around our board table and within our organization. Before acting, we wanted to listen and understand. We reached out to our colleagues at NERBNA to begin a dialogue about actions nurse leaders and organizations could set in motion to address social injustice and persistent disparities. The dialogue reminded us that “the racial status quo is comfortable for white people, and we will not move forward in race relations if we remain comfortable.”۱

The year 2020 revealed deep and significant racial and ethnic injustice in the United States as evidenced by disproportionately higher COVID-19 death rates in nonwhite communities, and a tragic number of high-profile police shootings of black and brown people. The confluence of these circumstances struck a chord with nurse leaders who were continuously trying to support nursing and care teams to cope with—and better understand—these long-standing inequities.

The US Department of Health and Human Services describes these disparities as “preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations.”۲ According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths were more than 2 to 4 times higher in vulnerable populations. The color of a person’s skin, a person’s ethnicity, as well as where they live, work, and worship, are social determinants of health that can exacerbate health challenges and, ultimately, keep a population at substantial risk.3 The COVID-19 pandemic forced the health care system and nurses to rise and meet the challenge of serving all those needing care.