#NoMoreEmptyDesks

November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 / Peggy L Chinn / 1 Comment

Robin Cogan just sent this update on the amazing work she is doing to reduce school violence and mass shootings.

I wanted to share several outcomes of my participation in the Nursing Activism Think Tank with you! It continues to have a profound impact on my work. This afternoon I am leaving for Boston to present “Why I Became a School Nurse Activist” for the Northeastern University School Nurse Academy. There will be 250 school nurses present, who I am hoping will be moved to consider their own activism/advocacy activities.

I was part of a panel on gun violence prevention for the ACEs Conference in San Francisco on Oct 16th. Here is a link to the blog post I wrote about participating in the conference.

There is a newly formed (physician organized) research group called AFFIRM research. I connected with them on Twitter and have been asked to write a blog post about school violence and mass shootings. It’s called “No More Empty Desks”, and should be published on their website soon.

I began an art inspired form of activism to bring attention to the 26,000 school age children killed by gun violence since 1999. This is the inspiration for #NoMoreEmptyDesks. The #NoMoreEmptyDesk art project is underway with Camden NJ high school students. Here are a few pictures from the project:

Promoting a Culture of Civility

October 30, 2018October 23, 2018 / Jane K. Dickinson / 2 Comments

Piri, Louisa, and I are conducting a study to learn more about experiences with incivility in nursing learning environments, as well as to identify strategies for promoting a culture of civility.

Please click here to learn more about who we are, how this study developed, and why we decided to pursue this topic.

We hope you will take 10-15 minutes to complete a 9-question survey, share your insights, and help nurses and future nurses learn in a culture of civility. This study is open to all nurses. You get to decide if you want to answer as a student or a faculty member. You don’t have to be either right now, just think back to when you were last in the classroom or clinical learning environment.

Click here to begin the survey.

Thank you, in advance, for helping nurses learn and grow, with a goal of making learning environments welcoming and respectful for all.

Jessica Dillard-Wright, MA, MSN, CNM, RN (1982 – )

October 23, 2018October 22, 2018 / Peggy L Chinn / 2 Comments

Inspiration for Activism Part II –

Unapologetic intersectional feminist
Jessica Dillard-Wright presenting a poster at Graduate Research Day
Nurse Activism Think Tank participant
Contributor, Radical Nurses Blog
Co-author with Vanessa Shields-Hass of the “Manifesto for Nurses Working Together” published on October 22, 2018
Organizer, Southern Radical Nurses Collective (see more on radicalnurses.com, forthcoming)
Aspiring nurse philosopher
Social and reproductive justice advocate (see more information here)
Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health faculty adviser (see more information here)
Emancipatory nurse educator
Co-organizer of a pop-up nursing think tank in 2019 – follow
@radicalnursesAUG and @radicalnursesNOLA

Nursing is a radical act, at every turn, in every way. The profession of nursing has unparalleled potential to impact the future of healthcare and our world, which is the motivation for my activism. The right to health is the foundation for a more just and equitable society and work toward this cause begins, for me, with nursing. Nursing is inherently political and we – as nurses, educators, citizens – cannot afford to err on the side of neutrality. This informs my approach to nursing, to nurse education, nurse scholarship, and to nurse activism. In collaboration with other nurse activists (including Vanessa Shields-Haas and Jane Hopkins Walsh), I am hoping to organize and host a pop-up nurse activism think tank in summer 2019. More details to follow.

Activism in action: protest mom and Atticus take the Women’s March

Vanessa Shields-Haas (1981 – ) – @radicalnursesNOLA

October 16, 2018October 13, 2018 / Peggy L Chinn / 2 Comments

Inspiration for Activism Part II –

Participant in 2018 Nurse Activism Think Tank
Author of blog, www.radicalnurses.com
Contributor to the Lavender Health LGBTQ nursing blog,
Social justice activist and promoter of change from within university and hospital systems by drawing on the expertise and power of healthcare workers seeking a healthier, safer, and more empowered working and learning environment.
Advocate for LGBTQ cultural competency, harm reduction, and inclusion of abortion care education for nurses.
HIV/AIDs Certified RN, reproductive rights protector, and medically accurate sexual education provider.

Vanessa’s Story: “I wish for Street Nurses, utilizing the full scope of their practice, to serve people who are not sustainably housed in New Orleans. Street Nurses would provide much needed rapid HIV/STD/HepC testing, wound care, medication management, harm reduction education, and preventative healthcare incorporating the use of handheld, laboratory diagnostics. The Street Nurses would work with a team of social workers for Medicaid enrollment, access to safe housing or low-barrier shelters, and a route to mental health care or substance use treatment, if applicable and desired. Street Nurses would have a relationship with the community including: the police force, EMTs, and city hospital to better serve those needing immediate, hospital admission.”

Cathy Graham (1952 – )

October 9, 2018September 25, 2018 / Peggy L Chinn / Leave a comment

Inspiration for Activism Part II –

Political involvement in local municipal elections (Toronto area);
Activism in provincial issues- safe injection sites, basic income initiative, sex-ed. curriculum;
Mentoring faculty teaching political action course at Trent University
Continuing work with “Dying with Dignity” and patients’ rights related to Medical Assistance in Dying
Public speaking with nursing students about the experience of being on the other side of the gurney