“Not on our watch”

Nurses have the power to turn the tide on Black maternal health.

By: Elizabeth Moore

[…] “We all have biases,” said Rose Horton, MSM, RN, NEA-BC, executive director of women and infant services at Emory Decatur Hospital in Georgia. “They are not necessarily good or bad, but you have to recognize how they show up in your interactions.”

“The intention is not what makes an act racist or discriminatory,” Montgomery noted. “Think about the policies and traditions in this country and in our communities that result in racist outcomes. Anytime something is causing a healthcare disparity—that’s systemic racism.”

A critical first step for nurses to confront racism in healthcare is recognizing the role you play in the system, Horton said. “Once you understand you have a role, you can become informed about the words and actions that may be triggering to marginalized communities, and then make a commitment to do things differently with your patients,” she said.