Authors

  1. Cineas, Natalia DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
  2. Schwartz, Donna Boyle MSJ, BSJ
  3. Patel, Kanish MPA

Abstract

The nation's largest public health care system, New York City Health + Hospitals (NYC H + H), is engaged in a fundamental transformation of its nursing culture, actualizing many of the recommendations in the National Academies, The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. NYC H + H and its more than 9600+ nurses and 970+ social workers share a common public health mission, vision, and values to deliver essential health care services to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society, regardless of ethnicity, culture, creed, gender, age, sexual orientation, income, immigration, or insurance status. This mission dovetails with all of the recommendations in the Future of Nursing report. Systemwide implementation of these recommendations is proceeding, with some programs further advanced than others. This article highlights the system's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; nursing professional development; collaboration with academic partners; labor contract provisions to support recruitment and retention campaigns; technological advances to remove barriers to patient care; and nurse residency program and professional-shared governance implementation. NYC H + H safeguards 1.4 million patients annually, caring for 1 in every 6 New Yorkers through 11 essential hospitals, 5 post-acute care facilities, more than 70 community centers, and correctional health services in city jails.