According to Sonya Jackson, a registered nurse at Hurley Medical Center, being a nurse isn’t just a job – it’s a calling. As president of the Greater Flint Black Nurses Association, it’s important that her calling is upheld to the highest standard. And as members of GFBNA, area nurses have networking and educational opportunities that can help them enjoy more rewarding nursing careers.
The mission of GFBNA is to improve health care for all residents of the Greater Flint area, particularly those under-privileged and underserved. It is a chapter of the National Black Nurses Association, which was founded in 1971 in Cleveland, OH by Dr. Lauranne Sams, PhD and Dr. Mary Harper. The two envisioned a system that would establish communication and dialogue among black nurses on a national level. In September 1976, the Michigan Black Nurses Association was organized and in 1979, Flint Professional Nurses was organized on a local level, but both organizations were later disbanded. The GFBNA was organized in May 1989 as a charter chapter of the National Black Nurses Association. Two Flint nurses, Rose Luster-Turner and Edna Green-Perry traveled to the National Conference in Milwaukee, WI, taking the steps to obtain charter chapter status.
The GFBNA provides health promotion and education to the community at health fairs, including screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. “Education is the key!” exclaimed Sonya. Members also participate in career fairs at local schools to encourage students to pursue nursing as their vocation. GFBNA is also involved in a partnership with the University of Michigan through which nurses volunteer to work with young nursing students and mentor them.
With a current membership of approximately 30, the GFNBA meets once a month at Hurley Hospital but Sonya says the organization is open to all nurses. She encourages any nurses in the area to join this group as they continue to move forward. “We are a professional organization making a difference,” Sonya says. “We are committed to closing the gap in health care disparities.”
A Quick History of the Nurse’s Cap
Symbolizing service to those in need, the nurse’s cap is a sign of the industry’s ageless values: dedication, honesty, wisdom and faith.
- It originated with deaconesses of the early Christian church, who wore white coverings on their heads to show they were caregivers.
- By the Victorian era, nurses wore ruffled, hood-shaped caps tied under the chin.
- The use of nurses’ caps all but disappeared in the late 1980s with the universal adoption of scrubs.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BLACK NURSES ASSOCIATION
