Two-Part In-Person CE on Disability Justice and the Economic Situation (Calif.)

This is a two-part, in-person CE Class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (6 hours of CE credits)
*For UC Nurses, an additional hour will be available from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Part 1: No Body is Disposable: Disability Justice and Creating a Society of Care

Course Description

Despite declarations that the Covid-19 pandemic is “over,” it continues to place an undue burden on disabled and chronically ill people, some of whom have become disabled as a result of Covid-19 itself. In fact, experts and advocates say that “Long Covid could be the greatest mass-disabling event in human history,” but it has received relatively little attention. Why?

Beginning with the case study of Covid-19, this class will explore how ableism is a social determinant of health. We will examine the history and function of ableism in medicine, law, and social policy in the U.S. and how these institutions came to define the ideal able, healthy, and productive body. We’ll consider how ableism intersects with racial, class, and gender oppression in the U.S. by marking some bodies as inherently more valuable than others. We will also look at how disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent people have long fought and resisted their pathologization and oppression at the hands of systems that deem them disposable.

This course will explore a social model that understands disability as a product of social environment. We’ll look to disability justice as a framework that views all bodies as essential, each with their own unique strengths and needs that must be—and can only be—met collectively. We’ll conclude by highlighting how nurses can integrate and advocate for disability justice as a practice of solidarity that recognizes the right of everybody to receive care with autonomy and dignity.

Course Objectives:

• Define common concepts and theories in disability studies
• Gain familiarity with the history and role of ableism in medicine, law, and U.S. social policy
• Articulate the connection between ableism and other forms of oppression related to gender, race, and class
• Apply disability justice concepts and approaches to patient advocacy

Instructor: Kel Montalvo-Quiñones

Part 2: The Health of Our Economy: How Inflation and Economic Crises Impact Patients and Nurses

Course Description

This course will analyze how economic crises affect nurses, their patients, and communities. It will help nurses make sense of how current crises such as the continued economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation impact our health care system.

We will investigate how economic crises deepen existing racialized and gendered disparities in health outcomes, access, and coverage. We will also consider the ways in which financialization left both our health care system and economy massively underprepared for the Covid-19 pandemic at the expense of the most marginalized patients. We will conclude with an exploration of how nurses can utilize their collective power to lead in the fight for a future of economic and health justice.

Course Objectives:

• Explain how health care disparities and rising health care costs impact our economy.
• Identify how rising economic inequality has contributed to health care inequalities pertaining to health outcomes, access and coverage, especially for marginalized patients.
• Explore how nurses have used their collective voice to lead in times of economic crisis and advocate for an equitable health care system.

Instructor: Omid Mohamadi

Course Details:

This is a two-part, in-person CE Class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (6 hours of CE credits)
*For UC Nurses, an additional hour will be available from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Please note: CNA/NNU is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and health of nurses, our patients, and our communities during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. All in-person course participants are required to be fully vaccinated, wear masks while indoors, and practice social distancing to the extent possible.

CE courses are free to National Nurses United members. Classes are only offered to direct-care and staff RNs.