Historically, the Latino community has had lower participation in civic engagement and political influence in the United States. This has led to a range of negative consequences for the community, including reduced access to care and, subsequently, poorer health outcomes. In 1975, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) was founded by Dr. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde, PhD, RN, ND, FAAN to focus on addressing the Hispanic leadership gap in health care and on reducing the stark Latino health disparities witnessed across the country. For 49 years, NAHN has been committed to advancing health in Hispanic communities and leading, promoting and advocating for educational, professional, and leadership opportunities for Hispanic nurses. There are approximately 329,000 Hispanic nurses in the U.S.- yet Hispanic nurses continue to be underrepresented within the nursing profession, making up about 7% of the current nursing workforce of 4.7 million. In the past three years, NAHN has redirected our focus to providing educational training to our nurses on health policy and advocacy training through our annual Hispanic Health Policy Summit in Washington, DC. As the number of Latino nurses continues to grow, so does our ability to positively impact health outcomes through advocacy and national relationship building, for the communities we serve. With each new nurse and community connection, the influence of nurses as community leaders expands, bringing hope and transformation to those who need it most.
Since 2022, NAHN’s Hispanic Health Policy Summit has drawn student nurses and practicing nurses from across the country to champion policies that improve access to care, the work environment of the nursing workforce and policies that advance climate health. These educational summits have trained over 200 nurses and interdisciplinary health providers to become advocates within their communities. Additionally, grant funding has been awarded to train our nurses in climate and environmental health through the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE). NAHN nurses are currently represented within 24 states and growing. Along with strengthening our members’ understanding of health policy and their role as community leaders through national advocacy, NAHN has focused on building relationships with stakeholders to advance health equity. In 2024, NAHN launched two national community programs aimed at empowering nurses to advocate and educate their local communities on the topics of (1) oral health and (2) nutrition and mental health. These community programs not only empower Hispanic nurses to lead within their communities but also increase access to essential bilingual health information in the communities they serve.
For the program focused on Oral Health, a collaboration between the Oral Health Nursing Education and Practice (OHNEP) at New York University, Colgate and NAHN will focus on training Hispanic nurses to educate their community within six state chapters. Each chapter has been provided funding to complete the Building Nursing Bridges to Improving Oral Health and Overall Health initiative. The Hispanic Dental Association (HDA) has reported that across all age groups, Latinos reported having “excellent” or “very good” status of teeth and gums in smaller numbers when compared to non-Hispanic whites. There is an opportunity for Latino nurses to bring their knowledge and expertise on oral health to educate the community on best practices for good oral health.
The 2024 nutrition and mental health program focuses on empowering nurses to gain new skills and knowledge related to nutrition and mental wellness for themselves, but also to provide education to children within their communities. The Fuel2Flourish: Nourishing Minds, Empowering Nurses Community Program aligns with the ongoing work of the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities. NAHN was one of the 141 organizational commitments made this year. In nursing, overnutrition, which is a form of malnutrition, leads to the accumulation of body fat that impairs health. Being overweight, or obese, is a chronic condition that impacts about half of the nursing workforce- which accounts for approximately 2 million nurses in the United States. Nurses, as highly skilled professionals who carry the nation’s trust, have the potential to improve their own health; this can, in turn, have a positive impact on the health of the rest of the nation. Mental health was added as a second component to nutrition, as poor nutrition can contribute to stress and fatigue and alter our capacity to work, leading to health problems such as obesity. But alternatively, poor mental health can also lead to poor nutrition choices, so they go hand in hand. A recent survey showed that 95% of nurses stated that their mental health was either not a priority for the healthcare industry or that it was a priority, but there were inadequate measures in place to support it. By adding this educational intervention, we acknowledge that, to better support our members, greater attention needs to be paid to nutritional and mental health interventions for the nursing workforce.
UnidosUS found that Hispanic youth are affected by malnutrition (obesity) at an early age, with the prevalence of obesity among Hispanic children aged 6-11 years being twice as high as the prevalence for non-Hispanic white children of the same age. Mental health is also important to add for this age group, as fewer Latino kids (8%) than white kids (14%) have ever gotten mental health care. This is concerning as approximately 22% of Latino youth have depressive symptoms, a rate higher than any minority group besides Native American youth.
One of NAHN’s core focuses is community engagement through essential health promotion education and leadership development for future nursing leaders. We are dedicated to building a robust pipeline of nursing professionals who can influence positive change and advance our community toward a brighter future. We eagerly welcome allies to join us in our mission to enhance health equity and eliminate unnecessary disparities in care for the communities we serve. Together, we can create a healthier, more equitable future for all.
References:
[1] National Research Council (US) Panel on Hispanics in the United States; Tienda M, Mitchell F, editors.
Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2006.
[2]https://www.carequest.org/resource-library/addressing-oral-health-needs-hispanics-us
[3]https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/02/27/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-administration-announces-nearly-1-7-billion-in-new-commitments-cultivated-through-the-white-house-challenge-to-end-hunger-and-build-healthy-communities/#:~:text=The%20%241.7%20billion%20in%20new,implement%20the%20National%20Strategy%20on
[4]https://www.statnews.com/2022/07/21/health-care-industry-lax-approach-nurses-mental-health/
[5]https://unidosus.org/blog/2017/09/29/state-latino-childrens-mental-health/#:~:text=22%25%20of%20Latino%20youth%20have,(15.1%25%20to%209.8%25).
About the author
Dr. Nava is an Applied Research Scientist at the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), and 2021-2024 President of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN). Dr. Nava earned her MPA from Harvard University, a PhD from the University of Massachusetts Boston, an MSN from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BSN from Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing.
