- Brandi Borden, NSNA President

- Kyle Loose, NSNA Vice President

"Serving NSNA this past year has been such an honor. By focusing on the greater good, serving with positivity, and giving my knowledge to the membership, I was less focused on the things the pandemic took from me. The hardships and turmoil the pandemic created in my world hurt less because I was able to serve with a group of amazing nurses and leaders. Thank you for trusting me to help you with the sometimes confusing world or money and minutes. I hope I was able to break the information down in a way that is easier and less intimidating. This is not goodbye, but 'see you soon!' Because I know I will be seeing you all in the future as we grow in our nursing careers and join our nursing associations. Thank you and God Bless your healing hands."

- Stacie Kinsey, NSNA Secretary/Treasurer

- Jaleighya Townsend, NSNA Breakthrough to Nursing Director

- Nikule Abel, NSNA Director

- Emily Bruner, NSNA Director

Thursday’s General Session opened with the critically acclaimed documentary, 5B, which tells the inspirational story of the courageous nurses and caregivers who took extraordinary action to establish a new humane, standard of care for the HIV/AIDS patients of Ward 5B on the fifth floor of San Francisco General Hospital. When it opened in 1983, Ward 5B was the first in the country designed specifically to care for AIDS patients at a time when so many healthcare professionals did not even want to touch patients afflicted with the mysterious disease of unknown cause that was 100% fatal and had no cure. The film, which celebrates the essential contributions of nurses whose innovation and leadership immeasurably changed lives during the onset of the AIDS crisis, was commissioned by Johnson & Johnson. The ward closed in 2003 when HIV/AIDS patients were accepted in all units.

Ms. Moëd observed “There are a lot of parallels, especially in early months. In both cases, healthcare providers struggled wildly to provide care and treatment. Both showed how fear can impact the quality of care with people frightened of catching the disease. Both revealed the need for culturally sensitive care and education.” She urged students to visit the Johnson & Johnson nurse-led innovation website (nursing.jnj.com) to appreciate the extent to which nurses are improving healthcare.

The film, 5B, can be streamed on various platforms as listed at www.5bfilm.com.

In Friday’s General Session, “Social Justice Seekers: Nurses as Movers and Shakers,” a panel of nurse innovators highlighted their initiatives in tackling social justice issues such as discrimination, racism, incivility/bullying, climate action; and accessibility of care. The panel, moderated by Gerry Altmiller, EdD, APRN, ACNS-BC, ANEF, FAAN; Professor, Director, Quality and Safety Innovation Center, School of Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science, College of New Jersey, addressed how nursing students and nurses can make a difference in social justice.

Billy A. Caceres, PhD, RN, AGPCNP-BC, FAAN, Assistant Professor, Columbia University School of Nursing, gave an overview of stressors that minorities, such as LGBTQ populations confront, including attempts to conceal and the expectation that they will be rejected, bias-motivated violence, ant-discrimination and hate-crime laws. As he explained, “Stigma is a fundamental cause of health disparities.” He noted that Until recent years, many states had employment discrimination laws against people who were LGBTQ+; these adults are more likely than non-LGBTQ+ peers to report physical and sexual abuse in childhood and a higher prevalence of interpersonal violence in adulthood. As he noted, “44 trans people were killed in 2020, making it the worse year on record for transphobic violence. Further, a record number of anti-trans bills introduced in states this year.” He concluded that social disadvantage contributes to health disparities in LGBTQ+ populations and nurses need to partner with interdisciplinary colleagues to address disparities.

Cara Cook, MS, RN, AHN-BC, Climate & Health Program Manager, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE), introduced the mission of ANHE to promote healthy people and healthy environments by educating and leading the nursing profession, advancing research, incorporating evidence-based practice, and influencing policy. Noting that “low-income families are at risk of physical and mental illnesses; older adults are vulnerable to extreme events that cause power outages and evacuations; communities of color live in risk-prone areas sand face exposure to multiple pollutants,” Ms. Cook said, “COVID revealed inequities in way people live today. Pollution is racial violence. Coronavirus is not just a health crisis—it’s an environmental justice crisis.” She encouraged students to become involved with the Nurses Climate Challenge, a campaign to engage 50,000 healthcare professionals around climate and health.

Soohyun Kim, MPH, MSN, CPH, APHN-BC, Tribal communities in Alaska on environmental issues; Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Fellow, focused on the role of public health nurses (PHNs) as movers and shakers, improving health through social justice, ethics, and quality care to individuals, communities, and populations. She pointed out that PHNs “reach out to disadvantaged and underserved groups across cultural and language groups.” Saying she visits several small communities to provide care, she described Alaska PHNs as “generalists who do what is needed” and consider the community as the patient. 

Sheldon D. Fields, PhD, RN, CRNP, FNP-BC, AACRN, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion, Research Professor, Pennsylvania State University, College of Nursing, addressed racial reckoning and the need for anti-racial research. As he explained, “Nothing determines health status as much as zip code.” He described antiracism as a form of action against racial hatred, bias, systemic racism, and the oppression of marginalized groups. He explained, “Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate actions to provide equitable opportunities for all people on an individual and systemic level.” He urged nurses to claim racism as a public health crisis and suggested that students and nurses follow the antiracist project in nursing research at https://medium.com/nurses-you-should-know/. 

Ecoee Rooney, DNP, RN, SANE-A, Director, Nursing Leadership Professional Development, Ochsner Health System, focused on lateral violence in nursing, explaining, “We have duty to ourselves.” She described lateral violence as acts that occur between colleagues where bullying is described as acts perpetrated by one in a higher level of authority. She noted, “Behaviors can include gossiping, withholding information, and ostracism.” She urged students and nurses to use cognitive rehearsal to practice a response to incivility, which can include rude and discourteous actions, gossiping and spreading rumors, refusing to assist a coworker, name calling, using a condescending tone, expressing public criticism, and microaggressions. As she concluded, “The bottom line is you deserve to be treated with respect. Do not accept incivility. Be strong, be brave, and do the important work we love.”

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