On June 11, 2022, a colossal step in the nursing and healthcare industry was taken as the American Nurses Association (ANA) released an apology for a long history of racism in their organization. This statement, decades in the making, marks a great stepping stone for the ANA as they begin their efforts to reconcile with those affected by the organization's actions. While here at Nursa, our primary goal and purpose are to provide nurses and healthcare workers with swift and efficient access to jobs they desire all around them; we are also here to provide you with education on specific topics and updates on everything you need to know regarding nursing and healthcare.
If you're unfamiliar with this organization as a whole or just now discovering this information, you may be asking the question, "why did the ANA apologize for racism?" Their apology statement was released on July 12th to begin a multi-phase journey to reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing. This is a critical and meaningful step in acknowledging their past actions while working to change their future. In fact, with decades of rich history rooted in this organization, a history of racist acts and systematic racism has also been rooted in the base of the ANA, something they are now moving in strides to correct after decades of mistreatment of nurses of color.
The apology letter from the ANA reveals that in the time frame from 1916 to 1964, the ANA purposely excluded Black nurses. However, after this time frame ended, it was still apparent that exclusionary practices and representation were still incredibly lacking. This, among many other actions dating back to when the organization was formed in 1896, led to the ANA's highest governing body taking action to begin this journey of racial reckoning by adopting the ANA Racial Reckoning Statement. Be sure to read the official statement by the ANA to learn what they said among the other actions they are apologizing for.
Racism in the Healthcare Industry
All while the ANA apologizes for its exclusions and mistreatments of nurses of color, it is important to be educated on the topic of racism in the healthcare industry as a whole and how it still plagues the healthcare systems of many countries, not just the U.S. In today's modern society, the overall history of medicine and healthcare in the U.S. is clouded by racism and mistreatment of Black Americans since the very beginning of healthcare. Within the fog and disarray caused by the surge of COVID-19 all over the world, something gone far unnoticed was the mistreatment and death rate of people of color in comparison to the white population.
A study that took place in May 2020 revealed an estimate that Black citizens in the U.S. were 3.57 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than white citizens, data taken from other countries also told the same if not similar problems. Rooted deep in time, far before the pandemic began, insufficient care for citizens of color has been going on for decades, leaving Black citizens with lower average life expectancies than others. Racism in healthcare has a crucial impact on physical and mental health and even makes it difficult for those to access the healthcare services they deserve due to fear or the service not being offered to them at all.
In addition to the mistreatment given to patients of color, Black nurses and healthcare workers also experience racism frequently on the job. Countless studies have shown high rates where Black workers have faced racism from patients, their families, or even fellow workers. Along with the rates of several studies over the past few decades, over 50% of the workplace situations where workers have spoken against racism have resulted in no changes.
What is the American Nurses Association?
If you're unfamiliar with the ANA itself and its purpose, you may have been wondering that throughout reading this article. The American Nurses Association was founded in New York City in 1986, formerly known as the Nurses' Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada. However, in 1901, this organization broke apart from Canada, thus only becoming the Nurses' Associated Alumnae. The goals of the ANA at its founding were to obtain licensure for nurses, establish a code of ethics for nurses, and promote the needs of nurses all over the states, among many more goals to come in the aging of the organization. Today, the ANA still thrives in supporting nurses, providing those with safe and ethical work environments, and much more to benefit the wellness of nurses.
