Dean, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky
While the Covid-19 pandemic rages on with new variants, the urgency for Kentucky nurses to stay on the front lines now extends to a massive vaccine campaign. Just like Florence Nightingale and Mary Jane Seacole, a British-Jamaican nurse, did in the Crimean War, nurses today are working 24/7 to get the mission accomplished. Although the practice settings may change from a critical-care unit one day and the next to a large parking-lot tent, football stadium or drive-through clinic, the shepherding of public health in the commonwealth remains the same.
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| Janie Heath, Ph.D. |
Nurses are human, too, and experience the same worries and anxieties as all Americans. Pre-Covid, the prevalence of nurse suicide was higher than the United States’ general population and now with compassion fatigue escalating, the urgency is greater for evidence-based interventions so another life is not lost to suicide.
Leaders of the Kentucky Nurses Action Coalition have been actively engaged to address “the silence of nurse suicide.” Leveraging the recently passed Kentucky Nurses Association and the Kentucky Nursing Deans and Directors resolution (October 2020), “A Call to Action for Kentucky Nurse Leaders to Promote Practices for Optimal Resilience and Suicide Prevention in Schools of Nursing,” multiple venues are unfolding to “break the silence.”
In collaboration with KNA, KNAC leaders are advocating for Friday, May 7, to be declared Kentucky Nurse Suicide Prevention Day. In honor of the extension of Year of the Nurse and Midwife, in May the KNA will expand “nurses’ week” for a month and will offer free continuing education programs to include evidence-based strategies to build nurse resiliency and shift from mental health crisis intervention to prevention.
In an upcoming legislative session, KNAC and KNA will partner with the Kentucky Board of Nursing for a legislative proposal to require a suicide-prevention training course as a requirement for nurse licensure. By working together, committing time and resources to implement these intentional strategies, we will emerge stronger and healthier:
1. Staying focused on what we can control: Stopping Covid-19 single-handedly is out of our hands but we can control how we react to the challenges by following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for double masking, handwashing, physical distancing and vaccination.
2. Taking time to breathe and reflect – thinking about how our new world with Covid-19 brings opportunities for creative adjustments and family connections by returning to simpler times in our lives.
3. Practicing gratitude – finding something positive every day and being grateful for simple things like beautiful days of sunshine or spending more time with pets is vital.
4. Taking care of ourselves – prioritizing “me time” is challenging but critical if we are going to come out healthy on the other side. We must get adequate sleep, exercise and eat healthy.
5. Embracing helpful resources: Accessing ANA resources for well-being such as “a nursing state of mind podcast series,” confidential 24/7 calls to talk about wellness, recovery and resilience and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Kentucky nurse leaders are grateful for the relentless efforts of so many who continue to build a culture of health ,and now we invite you to help us strengthen the mental health and wellness of our nursing workforce. Use these hashtags: #TogetherKY #KYNursingStrong. #STOPnurseSuicide
Janie Heath is president of the Kentucky Nurses Action Coalition and Warwick Professor of Nursing at the University of Kentucky. This was first published in the Lexington Herald-Leader.
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