Community health nurses leadership in advancing health equity

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe the solutions community health nurses (CHNs) identify to address health inequities during the COVID‐19 pandemic and to explore what leadership competencies enable CHNs to enact these solutions.DesignOnline survey, distributed to all members of the Community Health Nurses of Canada and associated provincial and territorial networks.ParticipantsInclusion criteria included all nurses who were working during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Canada. A total of 245 responses were included in the analysis.MeasurementThe survey included 25 open ended and fixed response questions. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the quantitative data. Framework Analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data.ResultsSolutions focused on advancing health equity and expanding community relationships and partnerships were identified as priorities. To enact these solutions system transformation, engaging others, and developing coalitions were identified as the main leadership competencies required by CHNs.ConclusionParticipants in this study clearly articulated structural and process solutions to address health inequities among priority populations during the pandemic. CHNs described with practice knowledge and confidence that solutions enacted in system transformation with community partners are necessary to advance health equity.

Striving for Health Equity Through Nursing Education: A Critical Examination of Non-traditional Community Health Placements

“…Health equity is a prerequisite for social justice, which aims to create just social, political, and economic structures that promote participation and respect and is conceptualized as a moral imperative for nurses (McGibbon & Lukeman, 2019;Yanicki et al, 2015). Of particular importance for CHNs is recognizing that equity-denied populations experience intersecting and often compounding vulnerabilities based on social class, gender, race, and other group membership statuses, resulting in their marginalization, oppression, and social exclusion (Baxter et al, 2024;Yanicki et al, 2015). To achieve health equity for these populations, CHNs must advocate for changes to the structural determinants of health while building community relationships to strengthen grassroots initiatives (Baxter et al, 2024;McGibbon & Lukeman, 2019).…”