Promoting health equity with HBCUs: Breaking away from structural racism

Area of Science:

• Health Equity
• Nursing Workforce Diversity
• Structural Racism in Healthcare

Background:

• Pervasive health disparities persist in the United States.
• Structural racism is recognized as a key factor contributing to a lack of racial diversity in nursing, especially in leadership positions.
• Diverse nursing leadership is crucial for mitigating health disparities in historically marginalized populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the underfunding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the absence of meaningful partnerships that hinder nursing programs at these institutions.
• To examine collaborative strategies for tackling upstream factors that perpetuate healthcare disparities.

Main Methods:

• A position paper was developed through collaborative discussions.
• Faculty from HBCUs and Predominantly White Institutions, alongside professional organizations and staff, participated in videoconferences and weekly meetings.
• The process involved refining the paper's focus, defining writing team topics, and detailing collaborative actions.

Main Results:

• The paper identifies and amplifies three critical recommendations to dismantle structural racism within the healthcare system.
• Collaborative engagement among policymakers, professional associations, industry, and educational institutions is examined as a strategy to address healthcare disparities.

Conclusions:

• Disengaging from structural racism requires targeted interventions and systemic changes.
• The amplified recommendations provide actionable steps towards achieving greater equity in healthcare and the nursing profession.