UofL News: When did the local National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) chapter begin?

Vicki Hines-Martin: The original KYANNA Black Nurses Association of Louisville started in 1986 as a local organization whose membership were interested black nurses in Jefferson County or southern Indiana. I was a faculty member at Jefferson Community College when we began. The current KYANNA Black Nurses Association of Louisville became an affiliate chapter of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) in 1994.

UofL News: Describe the climate at the time and the impetus for starting this organization.

Vicki Hines-Martin: As with many community settings and among health care, there was little focus on minority populations’ needs or an understanding of the importance of diversity within the health care industry. I frequently brought attention to these absences and the impact on health care outcomes. I was one of very few African Americans throughout college and during my early career as a clinician or educator. I felt isolated and wanted to know if others also felt that, so I invited AA nurses I knew to a meeting at my house and discussed their experiences and explored their interest in forming an organization to educate other nurses and provide mutual support. It grew from there over the years. I was the first president and other committed nurses followed.

UofL News: How has the KYANNA Black Nurses Association of Louisville supported nurses of color throughout the years?

Vicki Hines-Martin: We have always provided support through our annual conferences in the past and later through the more recent gala events. During those events, we provided professional development, recognized excellence among our membership and provided scholarships for nursing students who applied for funding to continue their education in nursing (from LPN through PhD). Over the years KYANNA has provided almost 50 scholarships.

UofL News: The National Black Nurses Association this year celebrates 50 years at the upcoming annual conference in Chicago, July 26 – 31. Several UofL nursing faculty and students will be in attendance. What does it mean for our students to be a part of this historic celebration?

Vicki Hines-Martin: I am certain that students will be excited to see and hear the history of black nurses and their contributions to the advancement of healthcare in the United States. Many nurses they have read about will be present and NBNA is noted for its welcoming and inclusive activities for all attendees, especially the students. This attitude lays a foundation for students to be attracted to membership in a professional organization that reflects their experiences and their future goals. They will have the opportunity to network and meet other students who will later become colleagues. Although they might not fully understand the historic nature of this year’s conference, over time it will be an experience they will reflect on and have greater appreciation for their involvement this event.

UofL News: What do you hope will be the future of the local NBNA chapter?

Vicki Hines-Martin: I am hopeful that the organization will continue to be active in the community, provide mutual support and recognition for nurses of color and to increase its ability to provide financial and mentoring support for future nurses and those who are advancing their educations. Through all these activities, KYANNA will continue to build a solid reputation as a professional organization that is one exemplar of the best in nursing.

UofL News: Anything else you’d like to share?

Vicki Hines-Martin: I’m very proud of the organization and although I won’t be able to attend the convention, it gives me great joy to know that UofL nursing faculty and our students will be a part of this historic event and will represent UofL, KYANNA, and myself as well as other nurses in our community very well.

Her desire to work in health care stems from the empathy and compassion nurses showed her during one of the most difficult times in her life. Abdulnur shares with UofL News more about her story and future career goals.

UofL News:ÌęDescribe how nurses influenced your decision to pursue the profession.

Abdulnur:ÌęDuring my hospitalization for a [SLE] flare-up, I lost a lot of hope that I could pursue nursing due to my new diagnosis. However, I had a specific nurse, her name was Taylor – I could never forget – who encouraged me to keep going. Her words really inspired me and was most of the reason I decided to pursue nursing.

Nurses are so empathetic and compassionate, and seeing a first-hand example of this really widened my perspective and increased my respect towards the profession. I also observed the same when my grandmother was hospitalized for a severe stroke, and the nurses comforted us during an emotional time.

I was already considering a nursing major during that time due to my family history – my mom was a nurse in England, her mother in Jamaica, and there is just a long line of nurses in my family. I also have a passion for giving others hope and bringing them to their best selves.Ìę

ÌęUofL News:ÌęWhat has surprised you about nursing school?

Abdulnur: I knew that nursing school would be hard, but no one really talks about how hard it can be mentally. There are so many things in our personal lives that can occur alongside school, and it almost feels like you are trying to juggle everything and stay afloat. Sometimes I find myself trying to take it day by day, or week by week because everything is so overwhelming. Things can be completely calm one week, and then the next it’s like you have three exams, eight assignments and a paper due within days. It really keeps you on your toes, especially when you are trying to balance school with aspects of your personal life.

UofL News:ÌęWhy did you choose UofL?

Abdulnur:ÌęI chose UofL for two reasons: the proximity and scholarships. I am from Louisville, and I felt too connected with my family to be hours away from home. It’s nice to be able to separate my personal life from my school life and still be able to drive 15 or 20 minutes to see my family. It was also extremely helpful that UofL offers the Porter Scholarship for African-American and Hispanic students.

UofL News:ÌęWhat is it like to be in nursing school during a pandemic?

Abdulnur:ÌęIt is extremely challenging. A major roadblock I hit was at the beginning of the pandemic when all classes were online. I do not learn well from recorded lectures; I have to physically be there in class. Because of this major change, my grades plummeted. I still passed, but it was a major setback. I had to completely modify how I learned and how I studied just to fit around the changes being made due to Covid. All of my classes are in person this semester, but even clinicals are altered, as we cannot shadow critical care units, the specialty I was most looking forward to, since I want to be an ER nurse.

UofL News:ÌęWhat advice would you give someone considering nursing school?

Abdulnur:ÌęI would tell them it is definitely worth it. Sometimes nursing can be challenging, but no good thing ever comes easy. There are so many rewarding moments, even as a student in clinicals where you realize that you love what you do. If you have a passion for nursing, all the studying and exams and stress will be worth it in the end – it already is worth it for me!

Adrianne Kelly contributed to this story.

The event, which is open to the public, will feature healthy food options from more than 20 different restaurants and local grocers, as well as a cash bar, live music from (blues, R&B, reggae, jazz), a silent auction and raffles.

Hosted by , the and the , the event will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the UofL Kosair Charities Clinical and Translational Research Building at 505 S. Hancock St. on the UofL Health Sciences Campus.

The cost of the event is $45 for members of the Kentucky Nurses Association, and $50 for others. The money will go toward scholarship funds, education and research at the , and some also will go to UofL Physicians – Infectious Diseases for vaccine supplies. The event also will feature a “Giving Tree.”Ìę

“The event is a way for restaurants and the community to say ‘thank you’ to nurses for their efforts to mobilize and come to restaurants and vaccinate all workers against hepatitis A,” said , clinical director of the and an associate professor at the .

Nurses from UofL vaccinated around 6,000 people at restaurants in Louisville and Jefferson County. Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection, most likely to be spread from contaminated food or water or from close contact with an infected person or contaminated object.

“It’s important to recognize their contribution to public health,” Carrico said. “It’s also important to realize what a resource UofL is, in that we have the ability to mobilize and respond to a public health crisis such as this.”

RSVPs are requested by July 20 by visiting the Kentucky Nurses Foundation site , or by calling the Kentucky Nurses Association office at 502-245-2843.

A nurse at , she cares for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit of the . She can say something a lot of people can’t say – she never dreads going to work.

“I get to care for babies,” she said. “And I love UofL Hospital, it’s a warm, caring place to work.”

Four years ago, Gretta’s love for what she does changed the life of one of her patients, and her own. Tabby Cooper’s son was born at 26 weeks via an emergency Cesarean section. Gretta was there, doing her job, wrapping Sulli Cooper’s tiny body and placing him in an incubator, where he would spend the first two months of his life.

Twenty-three weeks’ gestation is considered the age at which a baby is viable. Little Sulli beat that by three weeks, and he had a long road ahead of him. A few hours after he was stabilized, Gretta had aÌę talk with Tabby.

“She gave me two pictures of my baby boy and told me everything about him,” Tabby said. “And she warned me of the roller coaster ride I was about to endure.”

But she would not have to ride that roller coaster alone. Gretta was there every step of the way.

“The first few days were agonizing, when I looked at this tiny baby and I wasn’t able to help him,” Tabby said. “I was so afraid to put my hands in the box. He was so fragile. One day, Gretta asked if I’d held him. When I said no, she said ‘We’ll change that.’ She had me place my hands inside his incubator and placed his tiny two-pound body in my hands. She asked if two pounds was heavier or lighter than I imagined. He was heavier than I thought.”

Then one day, Sulli took a turn for the worse, and became very ill.

“Gretta stood by my side, holding me as I cried, not knowing what the future held,” Tabby said. “She sat across from me in the dark as I sat at his bedside, because he was not going to be without his mommy while he was sick.”

Gretta often brought Tabby magazines or books, trying to give her a break.

Eventually, he recovered, and it was finally time for him to go home. “She showed so much love to our tiny baby, and she also cared for me and my husband,” Tabby said.

But once Sulli left the hospital, that wasn’t the end of the family’s time with Gretta. The experience had forged a bond between the two, who became close friends, taking walks at the zoo or park, talking on holidays and sharing stories.

“We do a lot of things with the kids, who I love seeing,” Gretta said. “We spent months together, almost every day and night. It made us close.”

Three years later at UofL Hospital, Gretta was back at Tabby’s side again when Tabby’s triplet daughters came into the world – eight weeks early.

“Once again, Gretta reminded me of the crazy ride we were in for. And there she was, encouraging me and my husband, just like before,” Tabby said.

This May, Gretta will have her own special moment as she gets married. Her flower girls will be none other than Tabby’s daughters, who were born as Gretta and her fiancĂ© had just met.

“We talked through the night, and I told her about him,” Gretta said.

Tabby says she’ll never be able to thank Gretta enough. She recently nominated her for a DAISY Award for exceptional nurses from The DAISY Foundation.

“She showed my son, daughters and all the infants she cared for so much love and affection. She provided a tremendous amount of support to the patients, parents and their families. She is truly the mom when mom can’t be there. She is an extraordinary nurse.”

Gretta, who is from Brandenburg, said she always knew she’d be a nurse or a veterinarian from the time she was 13 years old. She doesn’t have her own children, but caring for others comes naturally for her.

“I love being a nurse,” she said. “It’s a challenge, as you never know what you are going to get.”

She said the staff is like a second family, working as a team and spending long days and nights together, and supporting each other during rough times.

“It’s like home,” she said. “I think our patients feel that.”

UofL HospitalÌę, according toÌę, a website that posts nursing jobs, compiles hospital reviews by nurses and maintains nursing career resources.

From 2015 to 2017, the website analyzed more than 1,000 surveys of nurses from 87 hospitals in Kentucky, basing its ranking on average ratings and the percent of nurses who would recommend their hospital.

Uofl Hospital received an average rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, with 81 percent of nurses recommending the hospital.

Comments about the hospital included “Pay is good and to grow as a nurse, this is the place you need to be” and “Excellent education opportunities. A place for learning and perfecting new skills. Lots of available overtime and a variety of unit specialties.”

“UofL Hospital strives to provide a stellar work environment that allows our nurses to have a voice in the care they deliver,” said Shari Kretzschmer, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer of UofL Hospital and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. “Patients and families benefit from our excellent level of nursing care.”