Content area
Full Text
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid health disparities bare for all who wish to see. Compared to the White population, racial/ethnic minority populations account for a disproportionate number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 (Garg et al., 2020). These disparities are especially staggering among African American and Hispanic communities, where COVID-19 death rates are three times higher than would be expected for their proportion of the population (Godoy & Wood, 2020). Indeed, where we live, work, and play matters.
Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who systematically experience greater obstacles to health based on their race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, age, and geographic location; mental health, cognitive, sensory, or physical disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; and nationality or immigration status (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2020). The disparity is especially prevalent in mental health care, fueled by stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion (i.e., social disadvantage). One of four overarching goals of Healthy People 2020 is to achieve health equity by eliminating disparities and improving the health of all patient populations (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2020).
Nurses' Spheres of Influence
Nurses are the largest and most trusted health care workforce (Gallup, 2020). Therefore, they have the professional and moral responsibility to acknowledge, lead, and act to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity. However, similar to other health professionals, most nurses indicate that they do not have the necessary preparation and, therefore, are not practice-ready to meet the needs of patients from diverse backgrounds (Fleckman et al., 2015; Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2011). Nursing students' preparation and nurse clinicians' continuing education are increasingly important due to not only disparities in health outcomes, but also the increasing diversity of the U.S. population as a whole. According to a U.S. News report, 70% of the largest cities in the United States are more diverse than they were 10 years ago (McPhillips, 2020). The U.S. population has also seen a significant increase in the immigrant population, with recent estimates indicating an all-time high of 13.6% (Budiman, 2020). Therefore, we must prepare nurses to take care of all patients by leveraging their spheres of influence at the individual, organizational, and policy levels (IOM, 2009).
Individual Level
At the individual level, nurses' interactions with...