By Terri Howard
AVP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Herzing University
Terri Howard
AVP for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Herzing University believes that if you want to improve access to quality healthcare for all communities, you need to change the face of who works in healthcare to more closely represent the communities they serve.
That statement is deep. There’s a lot of history and distrust tied up in that one little sentence. But during Black History Month, I do want to celebrate achievements and progress in moving the needle towards greater equity in access to healthcare.
More than 50 percent of our student population at Herzing University is people of color, and in the past year, Herzing has graduated more than 160 nursing and healthcare students from minority populations – right here in Wisconsin.
Herzing is a member of the National Black Nurses Association and put real policies in place to improve our community. This includes awarding $5-million in scholarships and grants during 2020 to nursing students.
Part of the answer to improving healthcare is a focus on cultural competency within nursing and all patient-facing roles in healthcare. To that end, Herzing is launching a new YouTube playlist titled Diversity Speaks – T.R.U.E. Talk with Terri. It’s available to students, faculty and all in the community where we’ll tackle some of the most pressing issues. We believe the only way to improve is to get uncomfortable; have the difficult conversations, share differing opinions and work to understand all perspectives.
Join us in celebrating Black History Month; check out our new playlist and help Milwaukee address, and improve, disparities in healthcare.
