Again. Today, we are exasperated to have to address another fatal police shooting of a Black man. Walter Wallace, Jr., a West Philadelphia resident, was killed by police in the midst of a mental health crisis on Monday afternoon. The collective trauma of Mr. Wallace’s death has reverberated throughout our home city of Philadelphia and the nation, highlighting again that racism is a systemic public health crisis. The National Nurse-Led Care Consortium feels this deeply and stands with our colleagues, our families, and our community to bring an end to the racist violence that has plagued our city and nation since before its founding. We grieve with our Black and brown communities who continue to experience inequities in health, social, and civic justice. We remain committed to confronting the enormity of today’s challenges exacerbated by systemic racism. From all of us at the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium, we continue to stand with you in solidarity, and in the hope that we will not need to write to you again. Black Lives Matter.

Last month, a nurse named Dawn Wooten blew the whistle on a series of alleged human rights violations and medical malpractice at an ICE detention facility in Georgia. Among the allegations were a total lack of COVID care or precautions, and a troubling prevalence of hysterectomies.

The National Nurse-Led Care Consortium has composed this letter to publicly thank her for her bravery as a nurse speaking out for her patients and to call on the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General to conduct a thorough investigation. Read this letter below.

Empowering Nurses to Change Public Policy

At the Core of Care

Erin Blair, a home visiting nurse with the Philadelphia Nurse-Family Partnership, joined the At the Core of Care podcast to speak about her experience translating nursing into advocacy. Last year, Erin joined the Lead Free Philly campaign to testify to Philadelphia City Hall about how the city's outdated lead law was impacting the families she serves. Thanks to activists like Erin, Council then voted to strengthen the city's lead laws to protect children from lead poisoning. You can hear Erin speak about her work in this episode.

Public Citizens for Children & Youth (PCCY) and the Alliance for Nurses for Healthy Environments are also featured in this episode.

AVAILABLE ON

This month, the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium's nurse home visiting programs, the Philadelphia Nurse-Family Partnership and Mabel Morris Family Home Visit Program, hosted their 5th Annual Community Action Day. In past years Community Action Day is a one-day, in-person event hosted at a local park or public recreation center in Philadelphia. This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, Community Action Day was a three-part virtual event presented on July 25, 27 and 29. Our goal was to create a fun, engaging virtual space to discuss community-driven solutions, civic engagement, nutrition, and self-care.

Watch Part 1 of our Community Action Day 2020

Numerous community partners, including Health Promotion Council and The Health Federation, offered resources and services to attendees. In response to this year’s theme, “Grow as we go,” families discussed legislative policies and issues that impact their lives and had the opportunity to hear directly from Philadelphia Councilmember Helen Gym and Anjanette Perry from Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY).

Thank you to everyone who made Community Action Day 2020 a success!