Health and Educational Equity
Being a nurse… in 2020 must mean being aware of social injustices and the systemic racism that exist in much of nursing…and having a personal and professional responsibility to challenge and help end them.
The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting A Path to Achieve Health Equity
“School nurses possess the skill and judgment to identify and address the structural and systemic barriers that impact the attainment of safe, supportive, and equitable school environments which contribute to students’ ability to achieve wellness and academic success” National Association of School Nurses (NASN) Safe, Supportive, Equitable Schools.
Health Equity
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines health equity as the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.
Equality vs. Equity
The term “equity” refers to fairness and justice and is different from equality. Whereas equality means giving everyone the same thing, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and some people may have different needs to make sure they get access to the same opportunities as others.
Educational Equity
Educational equity is the condition of justice, fairness, and inclusion in our systems of education so that all students have access to the opportunities to learn and develop to their fullest potentials.
Minnesota Department of Education (MDE): Commissioner Office
MDE: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Center
Social Determinants of Health
Understanding health and educational equity issues requires understanding the social determinants of health. As depicted in the graphic below, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines the social determinates of health (SDOH) as the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. These are the conditions in which people are born, work, live, and age, as well as the wider set of forces and systems (e.g., racism, climate) that shape the conditions of daily life. SDOH are linked to the lack of opportunity and resources to protect, improve, and maintain health.
School nurses are champions for social justice and understand that access to equitable health and education is a SDOH. Advocacy for social justice and equity in health and education access—particularly for vulnerable groups—is an important element of school nursing (p. 17).
Key Role in Addressing Health and Educational Equity
Creating healthy schools that specifically support students’ and educators’ health and well-being is a critical step in addressing educational inequities and is a strategy to disrupt ongoing health inequities.
School nurses have an essential role in creating equity for students related to health and their education. School nurses have a unique outlook because so often they are helping students and their families to get all their basic needs met to ensure that they maintain health, attend school ready to learn and prevent disruptions in learning. School nurses connect families with housing, employment, food security and other necessities referrals, assisting with forms, address structural and individual racism, build trauma informed communities or even direct contacts, going on home visits and so much more.
Education Commission of the States Policy Brief - Addressing-Health-Disparities-Through-School-Based-Health-Services (PDF)
- Equitable access occurs when every student — each with their own unique, individual needs and circumstances — can access health and wellness services without facing structural or systemic barriers.
- Expanding access to health services in schools, helps reduce health disparities.
- Greater levels of engagement and outreach to students, families, and local communities to increase equitable access to health and wellness.
- School-Based Health Services improve health outcomes — such as the delivery of preventative health care and vaccinations, asthma morbidity, hospital admissions, contraceptive use, and other health risk behaviors — they also improve educational outcomes.
- Targeting low-income communities, School-Based Health Services are likely to reduce educational gaps and advance health equity.