The NAHN Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is excited to announce the launch of the NAHN DEI Journal Club! Each month, the DEI Committee will recommend an article to encourage collective understanding and growth. Click below to read the featured articles. Want to discuss the articles each month? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn page!
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November 2023 - Diabetes Awareness Month
November is Diabetes Awareness Month and on November 14th, we celebrated World Diabetes Day. The month provides an opportunity for us to raise awareness around diabetes treatment, increase screenings for prediabetes and diabetes, and identify opportunities for diabetes prevention. For Latinos in the United States, the risk of developing the disease is twice as high as non-Hispanic whites. Our communities see disproportionate complications such as functional disability, stage 3 and 4 kidney disease, peripheral circulator disease, and vision impairment (Olmos & Jones, 2022). For many people living with diabetes, mental health and the disease burden are not assessed.The topic is near and dear to my heart as a Mom of a young adult living with type 1 diabetes for the past 22 years and as a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES). As with many other specialties, Latinos are very underrepresented among CDCES professionals, and I would like to acknowledge the amazing NAHN members who are CDCES! Our presence on the care team makes a huge difference in our communities receiving culturally sensitive care.
When looking for articles to share for this month's DEI Journal Club, I spent some time searching for articles that Latino nurse scholars authored. In the first selection which was published in Hispanic Health Care International (HHCI), I was curious to learn more about the “other” risk factors for diabetes, such as racism in healthcare. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this article which provides us with a review of the literature on how discrimination impacts Latino adults living with diabetes in the U.S. Experiences with discrimination and racism often impact mental health for people living with diabetes, which in turn, affects their self-care practices.
Authored by Brenda Olmos, MSN, APRN, FNP-C and Emily J. Jones, PhD, RNC-OB, FAHA, FPCNA, was published in Hispanic Health Care International in 2022
The second article published in JAMA, caught my attention due to the recent FDA approval of tirzepatide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, for the treatment of obesity. Lamprea-Montealegre et al. found that Latino patients had lower odds of being prescribed this class of medication than white non-Hispanic patients. The authors stated “Racism—a system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how one looks—and other implicit biases may be playing a role”. I would argue the word “may” could be replaced with “are”. Something I would like my colleagues to be aware of is the cardiovascular benefit for people living with diabetes who take this class of medication. If science shows us it works in treating obesity, improving glycemic control, and reducing the risk of congestive heart failure, heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular mortality, we must advocate for our community to have the same access as others.
Julio A. Lamprea-Montealegre, MD, MPH, PhD; Erin Madden, MPH; Sri Lekha Tummalapalli, MD, MBA, MAS; Carmen Peralta, MD, MAS; Torsten B. Neilands, PhD; Paola K. Garcia, MD; Anthony Muiru, MD, MPH; Leah Karliner, MD; Michael G. Shlipak, MD, MPH; Michelle M. Estrella, MD, MHS
Recommended by: This month’s NAHN DEI Journal Club article was selected by Kim Ann Kim, MSN, RN, CDCES. Kim is a diabetes nurse educator at Community Health Center/Moses Weitzman Health System, Co-Chair of the NAHN Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee and a member of the NAHN Hartford Chapter.
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October 2023 - Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October has been Breast Cancer Awareness month for over four decades. Breast Cancer is the most common type of Cancer for Latinas living in the United States. Some Latina groups have worse outcomes from breast cancer, especially in later cancer staging at diagnosis. In line with this month’s theme, the DEI Journal Club presents an article regarding disparities in Latina health with regards to preferred language, pointing to the heterogeneity of culture, socioeconomics, and genetics.The first author, John D. Heintzman, is a family physician from Oregon Health Sciences University’s School of Medicine. His work centers around nuanced health disparities in racial and ethnic minorities. In a current peer-reviewed journal article published in Preventive Medicine, disparities were found in mammography orders for Latinas who preferred to speak English versus Spanish, over ten years.
Spanish-preferring Latinas were more likely to have a mammogram ordered and a higher annual rate of mammograms when ordered than non-Hispanic white women. However, English-preferring Latinas were as likely to ever receive a mammogram order but a lower annual mammogram rate than non-Hispanic White women. This points to several reasons for the disparity including research showing that English-preferring Latina patients who are low-income face barriers with healthcare service utilization, barriers of acculturation, and the possible loss of protective cultural values. Not all Latinas had the same outcomes for mammogram use despite having the same racial/ethnic background. As clinicians, it’s important to understand that while English-preferring Latinas may have the language skills, they may still need support in navigating the healthcare system to obtain the services they need.
READ ARTICLE HERE: The Role of Language in Mammography Orders Among Low-Income Latinas Over a 10-Year Period by John Heintzman, Tahlia Hodes, Daniel Parras, Jennifer A. Lucas, Cirila Estela Vasquez Guzman, Brian Chan, Matthew P. Banegas, Miguel Marino
Recommended by: This month’s NAHN DEI Journal Club article was selected by Crystal Loucel, MPH, MS, RN. Crystal is a cardio-oncology nurse coach at UCSF, while serving on the NAHN Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the NAHN Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee.
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September 2023 - National Hispanic Heritage Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month in September is a time when Latinos honor their beautiful culture and heritage, but it is also important to highlight the environmental health threats Latino migrant farmworkers encounter each day. Latino migrants are the largest population of farmworkers in the United States, and according to the United States Department of Agriculture, 50% of them are undocumented, making them a vulnerable group to exploitation. Castillo et al. (2021) allude to the various hazards migrant farmworkers face such as heat exposure; machine-related injuries; chemicals from pesticides and air pollution; housing and other forms of discrimination; and emerging health hazards from climate change and SARS-CoV-2. To provide the best care, we must learn more deeply about the challenges migrant workers face.
READ ARTICLE HERE: Environmental Health Threats to Latino Migrant Farmworkers by Federico Castillo, Ana M. Mora, Georgia L. Kayser, Jennifer Vanos, Carly Hyland, Audrey R. Yang, and Brenda Eskenazi
Recommended by: This month’s NAHN DEI Journal Club article was selected by Erika Colindres, BSN, RN, PCCN. Erika (pictured below) is a member of the NAHN Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee and the NAHN New Jersey Chapter.
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July 2023 - National Minority Health Awareness Month
July is National Minority Health Awareness Month. The Hispanic/Latino population in the United States disproportionately receives less treatment for mental health illness than non-Hispanic White adults. This inequity is fueled by the lack of access to culturally sensitive quality mental health services, cultural stigma, heightened discrimination towards Hispanics/Latinos, and a lack of awareness about mental health within the community. As the Hispanic/Latino population moves towards being the largest non-White segment of the U.S. population, it is critical to understand both the self-imposed and societal barriers placed on Hispanic/Latinos seeking mental health care services.July’s DEI two journal club articles have been chosen to highlight the effects of discriminatory practices towards the Hispanic/Latino community and the influences for the increasing needs for mental health services. These practices and contributing factors affect the mental, physical and health well-being of the community and ultimately guide whether to seek mental health care services. As a community of Hispanic/Latino healthcare professionals, we must identify and acknowledge our complicity in discriminatory practices and collectively create safe pathways to access mental health care services.
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June 2023 - Men's Health Month
Men’s Health Month brings to the forefront the importance of health equity when caring for male patients. Not only do many nurses care for male patients, but most, if not all, have a male loved one in their lives who we desire to see living a healthy life. Men, regardless of race, disproportionally do not seek or lack access to health care for various reasons. This article uses the Chronic Care Model to identify the perceptions of being informed, patient participation in their health, and men having positive interactions with their providers among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic men with chronic health conditions. The authors of this article discovered that regardless of race, younger men tend to have less reported preventative care, more significant barriers to self-care, mental health issues, and participate in risky behavior. These phenomena have implications when addressing the chronic conditions seen in this population. As nurses, it is essential to have insight into how men, especially men of color, utilize healthcare and understand men’s perceptions of their health status to help develop prevention and treatment interventions congruent with addressing health disparities.
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May 2023 - Mental Health Awareness Month
The Hispanic population in the United States has unique risk factors for mental health disparities compared to the general population. With the growing Hispanic population in the US, it is essential for us, as healthcare workers, to be able to identify, acknowledge, and understand these risk factors while also providing compassionate, appropriate, and culturally responsive nursing care. In this month’s DEI journal club, three articles have been chosen to highlight the special needs, challenges, and protective factors for the Hispanic population in the US related to mental health disparities, health seeking behaviors, and potentially effective interventions to improve mental health and mental health literacy. Additionally, Brenes (2023) gives us a closer look at the mental health statistics affecting the Hispanic population and provides an abundance of resources for those interested in further reading!
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April 2023 - Alcohol Awareness Month
Drinking alcohol is something that most people will try at least once in their adult life. Having an occasional drink is perfectly fine, but when alcohol consumption increases steadily and begins to impact your health and personal life, it starts to be considered an alcohol use disorder. This article from the NIH touches upon statistics on drinking in the Hispanic community, including predictive factors, trends by country of origin, and the consequences of heavy drinking.
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April 2023 - Stress Awareness Month
This article studies the contributing factors and coping methods of Latinx nursing students on stress. It is important, especially for those that work in nursing programs, to provide support for Latinx nursing students because we need them to feel supported and to succeed. There is an overall nursing shortage in the US, and an even bigger lack of Hispanic nurses to match the Hispanic population in the country. Remember to take care of yourself and those around you - everyone needs an outlet to destress!
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March 2023 - Women's History Month
In March we celebrate Women’s History Month, and as nurses we are all aware of Florence Nightingale, who is considered the founder of modern nursing. But are you aware of Elvira Dávila Ortiz, a Colombian nurse from the 20th century who created the first blood bank in her country, completed a thesis on blood transfusions, and was the only nurse in her country trained to perform transfusions? This article speaks on the life and achievements of Ortiz and reminds us that Latinos have always been a major part of history - especially in nursing.
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March 2023 - Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
This article was a project by Lizbeth Quintero during her Master of Social Work degree from California State University, San Bernardino. It studies the challenges and needs of Latino parents with children that have developmental disabilities. This article brings awareness of the mental and physical strain on parents, as well as self-care, resiliency, and calls for further research on this topic.
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February 2023 - The Relationship Between Puerto Rican Mother-Son Interpersonal Compatibility in the Area of Control Behavior & Adjustment in School
In celebration of Black History Month, we would like to highlight the contributions of Afro-Latinos. As members of the African diaspora, Afro-Latinos have historically been underrepresented in American history and in nursing. Dr. Ildaura Murillo-Rodhe was an Afro-Latina psychiatric nurse scholar and advocate for improving health in the Hispanic community. Born in Panama, Dr. Murillo-Rodhe immigrated to San Antonio, Texas where she embarked on her nursing journey in a diploma program. Early on in her career she noted inadequate representation of Hispanic nurses in her community. Her pursuit of higher education continued into a baccalaureate, masters and PhD degree attainment. Our journal selection for this month is her PhD dissertation manuscript titled “The Relationship between Puerto-Rican Mother-Son Interpersonal Compatibility in the Area of Control Behavior and Adjustment in School”. Dr. Murillo-Rohde was the first Latina to earn a PhD at New York University.
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January 2023 - Addressing Health Disparities by Addressing Structural Racism and Implicit Bias in Nursing Education
Addressing racism and implicit bias starts during nursing education. According to Ochs (2023), there is currently little curricular evidence of DEI integration in nursing schools. This month’s DEI article explores the current issues nurse educator face related to structural racism and implicit bias. The author emphasizes the importance of integrating DEI competencies since new graduate nurses will utilize these when taking care of patients, which can have an impact on health outcomes. As nurses, it is vital to intentionally attend professional development workshops inside and outside of nursing to help promote DEI behaviors. Reducing structural racism and implicit bias early during a nursing career can positively impact the health outcomes of our communities.
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January 2023 - Sex Trafficking Victims at Their Junction with the Healthcare Setting—A Mixed-Methods Inquiry
January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. According to U.S. Department of State, "human trafficking disproportionately impacts racial and ethnic minorities, women and girls, LGBTQI+ individuals, vulnerable migrants, and other historically marginalized and underserved communities, our mission to combat human trafficking must always be connected to our broader efforts to advance equity and justice across our society.” This article highlights the need for education among healthcare providers in the care of human trafficking victims.
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December 2022 - The Invisible US Hispanic/Latino HIV Crisis: Addressing Gaps in the National Response
December is HIV/AIDS Awareness Month and in the United States, there is an invisible HIV/AIDS crisis in the Hispanic/Latinx community. The federal government wants to end HIV transmission by 2030, but there are many concerns about the infection disparities in our community. This article speaks on the gaps in the national response to this crisis.
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December 2022 - Yes, There Are Jews in Mexico. We’ve Been Here for a Very Long Time
For many Latinxs, December is best known as the month of Christmas - a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. However, Latinxs are an extremely diverse community, with many of us not being part of the Christian faith. There are Islamic Latinxs, Jewish Latinxs, Buddhist Latinxs, Hindu Latinxs, and so on.Hanukkah is an eight day long Jewish celebration that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century B.C., where Jews rose up against their oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt.
There is a long history of Jewish people in the Latinx Diaspora, especially in Mexico. This article is not a scholarly journal article, but one written by Ces Heredia, a Mexican-Jewish writer who went on a journey to understand more about the history of Mexican Jews.
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November 2022 - Talking Circle For Young Adults (TC4YA) intervention: a culturally safe research exemplar
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the featured article includes author and nurse scientist, Dr. Eugenia Millender. Dr. Eugenia Millender is an indigenous Afro-Caribbean Latina nurse scientist who has done work to support indigenous nursing research and mental health equity.
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November 2022 - Leadership Challenges in Building a Hispanic Nursing Workforce
The second article featured in the DEI journal club focuses in November on the lack of Hispanic nurses in leadership positions. A publication by previous NAHN president, Dr. Norma Cuellar, highlights factors like a lack of role models and mentors. As members of NAHN, we are all called to be role models and mentors for other Hispanic men, women, students, and professionals in nursing. Dr. Cuellar’s call to action in 2018 is still relevant today.
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October 2022 - A Framework for Latino Nursing Leadership
In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, the featured article will highlight one of our own NAHN members, Antonia M. Villarruel, RN, PhD; FAAN. The article “A Framework for Latino Nursing Leadership” was written by Dr. Villaruel, who served as NAHN President from 1996-1998.
READ HERE
Your voice matters! Tell us if you have a DEI related topic you want to learn more about, or a journal article to recommend. Share Now.