Note from Pat Ford-Roegner, former CEO of the American Academy of Nursing:

Review of current best evidence led by scientists at The Ohio State University

Healthcare scientists at The Ohio State University’s Office of the Chief Wellness Officer, College of Nursing and College of Public Health have released new, evidence-based recommendations based on current best evidence that can help organizers of professional meetings and events return to in-person gatherings safely.

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.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A national transdisciplinary team of scientists led by Dr. Bernadette Melnyk, Ohio State’s Vice President for Health Promotion, University Chief Wellness Officer and Dean of the College of Nursing has earned a 2020 Paper of the Year award from the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Advocate, connector, advisor, liaison, promotor, navigator, public health and outreach worker. These are common titles for Community Health Workers (CHW), members of the health care team serving as trusted community members to improve access to care and healthcare outcomes. CHWs focus on factors that influence health such as access to healthy food, employment, housing and environmental safety so they can work to remove barriers and help those they serve achieve optimal health.

The Ohio State University leads campaign designed to reduce stress and boost mood

The Ohio State University’s Office of the Chief Wellness Officer, College of Nursing and Office of Student Life today launched a new campaign designed to encourage Ohioans to take simple steps to reduce their stress and improve their mood every time they put on a mask.

The Mask On/Mood Up movement asks people to perform three brief, evidence-based tactics that research shows can bring calm to someone who is experiencing stress:

by Pat Ford-Roegner

As the country turns the page to a new administration, the chaos that has defined this political cycle has unfortunately extended to pockets of our nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the first orders of business for the new administration is the strategy around the fair and equitable distribution of the various vaccines available to us. Not an easy task!

by Pat Ford-Roegner

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared 2020 the Year of the Nurse and Midwife in honor of the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale became the first female member of the Royal Statistical Society because of her ability to use data to create new standards for sanitation in the army and beyond, thereby decreasing the death rate.

Clinician burnout was a public health epidemic before COVID-19. Now, there is a clinician mental health pandemic within the pandemic.