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This organization is intended to allow nurses to give voice to concerns that we have and potential solutions. It is all about kindness and caring for each other. So, hate speech of any kind is not allowed – ever! On the other hand, some nurses and their patients are facing horrendous conditions, in war torn countries, in refugee camps, in prisons, and now in hospitals and other settings where we struggle to care for overwhelming numbers of patients with Coronavirus.
As we struggle together to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, let us also work together to envision and create a better world. A world where humans and other earthly beings will not only survive but thrive. A world where clean water, nutritious food and fresh air are available to everyone. A world where racial, ethnic and socioeconomic inequities no longer result in stress related end-organ damage, chronic disease and years of life lost. A world where all children are loved and nurtured and safe.
It is our intention to keep membership free. Please note that we will use advertisers in the future to help offset the costs of maintaining this organization and website.
We Stand in Solidarity with the Nurses of Ukraine
Nurses Helping Nurses
to Heal Each Other
and the World
There are approximately 27.9 million nurses worldwide and the majority of health care providers (59%) are nurses (WHO, 2020). We hope that this organization will allow nurses across the globe to use our collective “power in numbers” to help each other during times of crisis and also when things are going well. As nurses, we individually work to improve quality of life for our patients every day. This organization was formed to provide an opportunity for individual nurses all across the globe to connect, share knowledge and do what we can to collectively help heal each other and the world.
It is more important today than ever before for nurses to be able to help each other. Individually and collectively, we are facing crisis after crisis after crisis. For example:
As of June 4, 2022, the COVID-19 virus that was first identified in the last days of 2019 has already claimed the lives of 6,297,890 human beings worldwide (with over 1 million deaths in the US). There have been 531,540,199 recorded cases of infection. Amazingly, 4 billion doses of vaccines developed in response to emergence of this novel virus have been administered across the globe (JHU, 2022, June 4). Nurses worldwide are struggling emotionally, psychologically and physically to survive this pandemic. Countless nurses and healthcare providers have become infected and many experienced repeat infections and/ or are living with unresolved “long COVID” symptoms. By May of 2021, the World Health Organization estimated that 80,000 to 180,000 healthcare providers died as a result of a COVID-19 infection (WHO, 2020, September).
Nurses and other healthcare providers are also challenged to care for the victims of violence perpetrated by human beings on other humans. Such care is provided not only to the victims of violence, but extends to the survivors of those who died. In 2017, at least 463,821 people died of intentional homicide due to domestic violence, organized crime (including gangs) or by terrorist activities (UNODC, 2019). Caring for victims of senseless violence and their loved ones takes both an emotional as well of a physical toll on nurses and other healthcare providers no matter how hardened they try to be.
There are also countless nurses practicing in countries where armed conflicts interfere with the ability to provide care, jeopardize nurse safety, deplete supplies and cause needless death and disability. Facilities/ hospitals and other settings may be damaged or destroyed, equipment may be unusable, and travel to care facilities may be impossible. For nurses in these situations, their very lives may be endangered and/ or they may have had to flee their countries as refugees.
In addition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there are at least 26 other armed conflicts – most of which are long standing – throughout the world. These include civil wars (and ethnic group genocide), territorial disputes (often focused on controlling strategic resources such as oil and gas), and political instability caused by armed militias and terrorist groups (Council on Foreign Relations, 2022, February 25).
There are millions of global citizens who have been displaced by these conflicts who are trying to survive as refugees. There are millions of children who have never in their entire lives had the opportunity to meet basic human needs such as clean water, stable food sources, a warm bed to sleep in while sheltered from the elements. There are also countless kids who are homeless or orphaned in unstable countries as well as countries with the highest development
Council on Foreign Relations (2022, February 25). Global Conflict Tracker. https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/?category=us
Johns Hopkins University and Medicine (2022, February 27). Coronavirus Resource Center Global Map. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2019). Global study on homicide. https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/gsh/Booklet1.pdf
World Health Organization. (2020). State of the world’s nursing 2020 executive summary. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331673/9789240003293-eng.pdf
WHO (2021, September). The impact of COVID-19 on health and care worker a closer look at deaths. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/345300
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