Karen Patricia Williams

by Pat Ford-Roegner

Lurking right behind the COVID-19 pandemic is another major killer: the seemingly unstoppable incidences of violence by Americans on one another. Most recently, we witnessed senseless shootings in areas including Atlanta, Austin, Boulder, Chicago, Columbus, Indianapolis, Kenosha, WI and Orange County, CA. Major cities are experiencing a steep rise in gun violence. My hometown of Philadelphia reels daily from violence. Innocent children are frequent victims.

The events themselves are horrific, but only part of the story.

OHIO-Nurses are up against major obstacles every day: workplace violence; burnout; unsafe staffing; COVID-19; and other traumatic events. Many of these have a lasting impact that go beyond the bedside, leading to moral injury within the profession. Moral injury, often described as a consequence of continual acts that go against one’s morality, is a phenomenon sweeping the profession, which is why the Ohio Nurses Foundation announced today the winners of a $100,000 award to support important research on moral injury in nursing.