Welcome to the National Association of Hispanic Nurses
At the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN), we celebrate the culture, caring, and spirit of Hispanic Nurses, the leading voice of health in our communities. Since 1975, NAHN has been the nation’s leading professional society for Latino nurses. With a growing membership and more than 40 local chapters, NAHN represents the voices of Latino nurses across the country. NAHN and its chapters are committed to advancing health in Hispanic communities and to lead, promote and advocate for educational, professional, and leadership opportunities for Hispanic nurses. For professional support that can only be found here, Join NAHN. To learn more about our association, read the NAHN Bylaws.
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What's New With NAHN?
NAHN Statement on Impact of Hurricane Fiona on Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic
NAHN extends our thoughts and prayers to the people of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona. Many on the islands are still faced with existing challenges, including lack of running water, power, and gasoline to run generators. The resulting impact is not just experienced by individuals and families, but also communities and the healthcare system. NAHN stands in support of the nurses who continue to carry on their mission in the face of personal and professional challenges brought on by Hurricane Fiona. We also extend words of encouragement to members of our NAHN familia who live on the mainland and have been impacted by this event; they are supporting friends and loved ones and coordinating efforts to help. If you would like to assist with recovery efforts, ABC News and National Public Radio (NPR) have identified a few organizations that are serving at the local level. You can also contact the American Red Cross. Our two local Chapters, NAHN Houston and NAHN New Jersey are also collecting supplies and donations for the upcoming Medical-Nursing Mission. If you would like to volunteer, and/or donate to our local efforts, please contact jperry0892@sbcglobal.net and mariavillot@aol.com.
Recognizing NAHN Members
NAHN would like to congratulate members who were recently honored with awards in the nursing community!
- Norma Martinez Rogers, PhD, RN, FAAN, former NAHN President, was one of six extraordinary nurse leaders recently designated as a 2022 Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Rogers will be honored at the Living Legends Ceremony held during the AAN's annual Health Policy Conference from October 27-29, 2022. The Living Legends are regarded as remarkable luminaries who have leveraged innovation, science, and leadership to take nursing to new heights.
- Paule V. Joseph, PhD, MS, FNP-BC, FAAN, was selected by the National Academy of Medicine from a highly competitive pool of applicants as the Inaugural American Academy of Nursing Fellow. Dr. Joseph is also the 2022 recipient of the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science Brilliant New Investigator Award.
- Caroline Ortiz, MS, MPH, RN, NC-BC, received the American Holistic Nurses Association 2022 Research Grant Award for her Ph.D. dissertation project, "Decía mi Mamá: Traditional Medicine from Mexico Among Mexican American Women Residing in the Texas Rio Grande Valley."
- Norma Annette Avitua-Ovalle, MBA-HC, RN, BSN, who was recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Nurses for dedication, achievements, and leadership in nursing administration.
- Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MPH, LCSW, RN, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, FAAN, has been selected for the Aspen Institute Health Fellowship on Health Equity. Since 2015, the fellowship program has connected senior health care leaders and challenged them to advance solutions to our country’s most pressing health care problems.
- Rocio Sanchez, BSN, RN, PCCN, was selected among the 40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leaders in Illinois by the Illinois Nurses Foundation.
- Armando Riera, MSN, APRN-BC, has been named the 2022 Community Service Golden Age Awardee by the Latino Center on Aging. The Golden Age Awards are given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the Hispanic communities throughout the world.
Malnutrition Awareness Week is September 19-23!
NAHN is an official ambassador of ASPEN Malnutrition Awareness Week. Taking place September 19-23, 2022, Malnutrition Awareness Week is a mark of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN). The goal of Malnutrition Awareness Week is to educate healthcare professionals on early detection, prevention, and treatment of malnutrition and educate consumers to discuss their nutrition status with healthcare providers.
NAHN members will have complimentary access to ASPEN’s MAW webinars and resources. Continuing education credits are available for most of the webinars.
In ASPEN’s Malnutrition Solution Center are practice tools, videos, podcasts, and papers for clinicians, as well as resources for patients. For more information, visit nutritioncare.org/MAW. Help to increase awareness of nutrition’s role on patient recovery online by using the hashtag #ASPENMAW22.
NAHN Nurses Selected for AANA 2022 Class of New Fellows
Several NAHN members were selected as part of the American Academy of Nursing's distinguished leaders to be inducted into the 2022 Class of Fellows! The inductees will be recognized for their significant contributions to health and health care at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, taking place on October 27-29, 2022 in Washington, DC. The NAHN nurses included in the 2022 Class of Fellows include Rosario Medina, PhD, FNP-BC, ACNP, CNS, FAANP, University of Colorado; Ana Maria Linares, DNS, RN, IBCLC, University of Kentucky; Adriana Arcia, PhD, RN, Columbia University and the University of San Diego; and Renee McLeod-Sordjan, DNP, FNP-BC, ACNP-BC, ACHPN, Hofstra University Northwell Health. Congratulations!
Save the Date for #NAHN2023
Save the date! Join us at the Doubletree by Hilton Portland for the NAHN 48th Annual Conference from July 11-15, 2023. Mark your calendars and plan to learn, connect, and explore the incredible city of Portland!
NAHN Spam Alert
It has come to our attention that individuals posing as NAHN partners have been contacting members and offering to sell contact lists from the NAHN Annual Conference. NAHN does not sell information, and therefore these offers are not legitimate. If you receive an email like this, please mark it as spam, block the sender, and do not purchase their false information or services. If you have any questions, please email us at info@thehispanicnurses.org. Thank you!
NAHN Policy & Advocacy Statement: Supporting Access to Sexual & Reproductive Health Care
Since 1973, the landmark ruling of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court granted women in the United States, the fundamental right to make their own sexual and reproductive health care decisions, to include access to abortion care. Should Roe v. Wade be struck down, “trigger laws” banning access to abortion care would be activated across 13 states in less than a month, widening disparities in health care access, which would largely impact communities of color. A recent survey conducted by the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice (2022) found that 74% of Latino registered voters agree that a woman has a right to make her own personal, private decisions, relating to reproductive health choices.
The National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) supports the right for privacy and the right for all persons to make the best decisions about their own health, with evidence-based information, access to high quality clinical support and without coercive treatment. It is within a nurses’ scope of practice to share with their patients in an unbiased manner all relevant information about their reproductive choices that are available to them and to support that patient regardless of the decisions that patient makes. Nurses do have the right to refuse to participate in sexual and reproductive care based on ethical grounds, as long as patient safety is assured, and alternative sources of care have been arranged (ANA, 2021).
NAHN will continue to advocate for state and federal policies that improve access to safe and timely reproductive care. As nurses, the most trusted profession in the country for the 20th consecutive year in a row, our role in advocating, educating, and guiding our patients on issues related to nursing care and sexual and reproductive health is essential.
NAHN Statement on Racism and Gun Violence
NAHN Statement on Racism and Gun Violence
The National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) stands with the victims, families, and communities over the last weekend who experienced the tragic events due to racism and gun violence. We continue to face these public health crises and it is our duty to advocate and improve the health and safety of the communities that we serve. As nurses, we stand for the protection of all citizens through policies that provide mental health and public safety and work towards dismantling all facets of racial hatred, bias, and violence within our communities.
As an organization, we condemn the vitriol that sparked these individuals to cause harm among the communities of Buffalo, NY, Orange County, CA, and other locations throughout the United States that perpetuates hate towards communities of color. NAHN is centered on promoting the health of communities of color through education, mentorship and advocating for policies at state and federal levels. We are dedicated to preserving the rights of all individuals through concerted efforts toward diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
NAHN Statement on the RaDonda Vaught Verdict and Sentencing
NAHN Statement on the RaDonda Vaught Verdict and Sentencing
Nurse Vaught was convicted of impaired felony abuse and acquitted of reckless homicide, in connection with a 2017 medical error that was associated with a patient’s death at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. This verdict will have a lasting effect on our health care workforce. Nursing has worked diligently with other health care professions to create a “just culture” to reduce patient safety incidents, including medication errors. A “just culture” seeks to address the various root causes for (medication) errors and create an environment of psychological safety for health care staff to speak up and report near miss and patient safety incidents in real time. Research has shown errors are committed in systems fraught with staffing, communication, morale, and ethical issues. A “just culture” supports nurses and all health care providers to report medication errors for unbiased root cause analysis so that systems can develop action plans to prevent further errors.
As we continue to promote a culture of continuous improvement within our health care systems, the May 13th, 2022 non-criminal sentence of three years’ probation for Nurse Vaught reduces the fear that nurses face when reporting errors in the workplace. There is still much work ahead to reduce the psychological and physical burden that health care workers face in working within health care systems that are prone to medical errors, but nursing leaders can lessen the burden by ensuring facility level policies are current and based on the most recent evidence. NAHN calls on health care leaders to review the improvements made at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to glean on how to improve their own internal policies and procedures related to medication administration.
NAHN Joins the Health Equity Coalition for Chronic Disease
Eliminating barriers to healthcare is at the heart of Health Equity Coalition for Chronic Disease. NAHN is honored to be a part of this new coalition working to update coverage policies disproportionately harming communities of color. Our first-year initiative will focus on obesity — a chronic disease and a driver of health inequity in America. Obesity leads to dire health consequences across communities of color, yet it is treatable and preventable. Together we can expand access to comprehensive obesity care.
NAHN Joins the Nurses Obesity Network
NAHN President Dr. Adrianna Nava recently announced NAHN's involvement in the Nurses Obesity Network, a diverse group of nursing organizations committed to changing the way we view, treat, and advance care for people living with obesity – including members of our own nursing profession.
There is more to weight than what we see. Obesity is a chronic disease which requires more than one approach to weight management and treatment. More than 2 in 5 Americans are living with excess weight or obesity today, with disproportionate prevalence in communities of color, yet people living with obesity often lack the health care they deserve. Collectively, nurses are role models for wellbeing, champions for change, and advocates for better obesity care and treatment.
NAHN Joins CfH and ANHE to Promote Healthy Environments
NAHN is a proud member of the Nursing Collaborative on Climate Change and Health, a partnership with the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments and Climate for Health. ANHE is the only national nursing organization focused solely on environmental health issues. Climate for Health is a national initiative that brings together leaders and institutions across the health sector committed to advancing climate solutions to protect the health and well-being of Americans.
Read MoreNAHN Calls for More Federal Action to Keep Nurses and Hispanic Communities Safe
In response to the global Coronavirus pandemic, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses is calling on the federal government to protect nurses by increasing the production and distribution of personal protective gear, to develop a more robust Spanish-language public awareness campaign on the virus, and immediately approve an increase in funding to ensure that ICE detention facilities, already lagging in providing basic care, can improve and carry out necessary healthcare measures. NAHN urges greater federal intervention to assist state and local governments in their efforts to supply healthcare systems with personal protective equipment, ventilators, hospital beds, and other critical necessities.
International Weight Control Registry
The International Weight Control Registry is an online research project that will help identify the most successful weight loss strategies for different population groups worldwide. It is a new approach that starts with real people and experiences.
How it works: A team of experts from five top research universities built registry to help create the next generation of weight loss science discoveries. You are eligible to join the registry if you are 18 years or older and have lost weight (whether you subsequently regained your weight or not) or are interested in losing weight. By joining, you will receive news and updates on the IWCR’s work and insights, as well as access to social media channels reserved for participants. Please consider enrolling in this online community contributing to the science of lasting weight loss, building better practical knowledge and support.
NAHN Focuses on Facts in Response to COVID-19
NAHN recommends that members and the public continue to practice good hand hygiene and follow CDC recommendations on everyday preventative actions. Concern, and even fear, are normal reactions among the public. That worry can be managed with accurate information, and NAHN urges members of the public to stay safe, smart, and informed.
The World Health Organization social media campaign "Be Ready for COVID-19" provides advice on how to protect ourselves and others. NAHN supports the practice of training healthcare professionals in early identification and notification. Nurses must receive the highest level of protection to provide care for the individuals and communities in which they serve.
Hispanic Role Models in Health Care Careers
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) Grant
