The National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing has awarded Mercy University’s School of Nursing in Dobbs Ferry $20,000 to spearhead a program aimed at eliminating racism in nursing. Mercy was one of 10 winning proposals selected from over 130 submissions to receive part of the $200,000 in funding from the American Nurses Association (ANA) to use toward its programming.
“The ANA’s support is a beacon of hope for the future of nursing education. The School of Nursing is honored to embark on this critical journey with nurse educators who have asked for guidance on addressing racism, interrupting implicit bias and advancing health equity,” said Kenya Beard, Ed.D., AGACNP-BC ANEF FAAN, dean of Mercy’s School of Nursing. “I appreciate that we were selected for this innovative award and look forward to initiating this program.”
A national survey of over 5,600 nurses conducted by the commission shows that racism is an insidious problem within the profession. Nearly half of nurses agree there is ‘a lot’ of racism in nursing. With this grant, Mercy’s School of Nursing along with the other nine selected organizations will develop and work to implement evidence-informed strategies, programs and interventions aimed at dismantling institutional, structural and systemic racism in nursing.
Mercy’s School of Nursing will be working to improve the quality of nursing education through the development of a nurse faculty residency program with the express purpose of facilitating the transition of nurse educators into the role of health equity influencers.
“The American Nurses Association is honored to present these funds to these inspiring programs who are taking deliberate action to truly dismantle racism within their respective initiatives and organizations,” said American Nurses Association President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, Ph.D., MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “Racism has inflicted damage on nurses of color and continues to mar the nursing profession. We have evidence of this through our research, surveys and through the shared stories and experiences from nurses of color….”
Mercy will work with the commission throughout the year to optimize its program and to regularly report on project status.
