Stephanie Horton, MSN RN, CEN, Emergency Department nurse at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
In a health care setting, racism doesn’t necessarily present itself in the form of macroaggressions, explained Stephanie Horton, MSN, RN, CEN, a nurse in the Emergency Department (ED) at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC) and a member of Penn Medicine’s ED antiracism task force. “It can be very covert,” she said.
The task force examines and discusses all forms of racism in the ED – from disparities in patient care to the ways in which patients, family members, and staff interact. It’s work that Horton has been passionate about since coming to PPMC three years ago from her previous position at Pennsylvania Hospital.
Horton was recognized for her efforts with a PPMC Emergency Medicine Award: IDEA of the Year. Gina South, MD, MS, assistant professor and vice chair for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Emergency Medicine, nominated Horton, saying: “Ms. Horton has served as the PPMC RN lead for the ED antiracism task force since its inception and has been one of our most active members, representing the concerns and ideas of nurses and all staff at [the] PPMC ED.” South added, “Ms. Horton’s work has been incredibly important to advancing our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism (IDEA) mission.”
Horton and her colleagues on the task force created an IDEA orientation PowerPoint for onboarding new ED residents and attending physicians. Horton said the presentation was designed to provide historical context about West and Southwest Philadelphia, which can help ED physicians better understand the communities they serve and provide ways to think about equity in the work they do. The presentation has been well-received.
The ED task force began as a series of monthly meetings – a safe space for conversations about racism and the various shapes it can take. Horton said often, people are unaware that their words and actions may be offensive or racist, and that saying to a colleague, without accusation, “I noticed you did or said this with a patient. Did you have a specific reason?” can be an effective way to address concerning behaviors.
Recently, Horton partnered with Kristyn Smith, DO, an ED attending physician at HUP, to lead a health equity simulation event for ED residents. The pair role-played a variety of ED scenarios and had the residents share their observations and reactions regarding racially insensitive comments. After, the group had a debrief to discuss ways to directly address those behaviors when they happen.
Other initiatives championed by the task force include Lift Every Voice and Know Your Name. Lift Every Voice is an anonymous site South helped launch for reporting racism experienced or witnessed by staff members. The platform is now live within the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn Medicine.
Know My Name, a project created by Emergency Medicine physician Hana Choy, MD, is currently in development. It’s a digital directory that includes each ED staff member’s name, pronouns, and professional head shot, so employees can familiarize themselves with their coworkers and correctly spell their names.
Horton encourages employees who want to get involved in antiracism efforts to find her in the Global Address List in Outlook for information. “I think it’s really important for our colleagues, patients, and just for ourselves to continue to have these conversations – to have more knowledge and understanding of one another,” she said.