Possible Solutions

Healthy People 2030

To address the social determinants of health, both healthcare access and education, requires use of multiple evidence-based solutions that are rooted in nursing advocacy, trust, and community engagement. Arguably, the most important objective is improving health literacy and trust in marginalized communities, as addressed in Healthy People 2030. Healthy People 2030 is a nationwide project that emphasizes increasing health literacy as a way of empowering individuals when managing their health, making informed decisions, and managing care systems (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2020). 

American Nurses Association (ANA)

As future nurses, we know our role plays in a huge part in these outcomes. Per the American Nurses Association (ANA), nurses should expand their role in the design and implementation of health promotion strategies that are patient-centered, inclusive, and comprehensive (ANA, n.d.). Nurses are essential providers and can improve patient education through interventions such as clear communication, culturally competent materials, and techniques like teach-back to confirm the patient’s understanding, which is critical when working with populations that are known to historically be excluded from equitable care (Fetene, Wondiye, & Yigsaw, 2024). 

The Gyedi Project

Another key intervention to rebuild trust and address systemic barriers includes community-based organizations. An example of this is the Gyedi Project, located in Aurora, a nonprofit organization that is committed to supporting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities through tackling health inequities (The Gyedi Project, n.d.).. Their approach is through community outreach and engagement, community health education, maternal health education, cultural responsiveness training for healthcare professionals and community-engaged research (The Gyedi Project, n.d.). The Gyedi organization works to emphasize trust and belief, therefore empowering historically underserved communities to take control of their health and realize their full life potential (The Gyedi Project, n.d.).

Abundant Black Health

Abundant Black Health is another possible solution to highlight. The organization promotes health and wellness within the Black community by offering culturally grounded health events and education that is rooted in African Diasporic traditions (Abundant Black Health, n.d.). This organization’s goal is to increase the overall health engagement, supportive caregiving, and advocacy among Black peoples (Abundant Black Health, n.d.). Their mission is influenced by centuries of medical racism, including experiments on enslaved women, the uninformed use of Henrietta’s cells, and the Tuskegee Study (Abundant Black Health, n.d.). They also acknowledge the systemic failures that are still prevalent today, like high maternal mortality rates, undertreatment of pain, and limited access to quality care in Black patients (Abundant Black Health, n.d.). The integration of these cultural traditions with health education empowers the Black community and builds trust so they can take control of their health (Abundant Black Health, n.d.). 

 In Conclusion

All these organizations are examples of how community-informed programs can positively impact access and education. With the integration of culturally competent communication, their models align with the goal of health promotion and systemic reformation. As future nurses, advocating to use these pogroms and modeling this in our practice will increase equity and have better outcomes for marginalized communities.