From left: Sonya Hovsepian, Anne Fitzgerald, Diana Freiberger and Molly O’Dea

In 2019, Urology and Plastic Surgery nurses on Braunwald Tower 12A sought to raise awareness about suicide risk, prevalence and prevention by participating in the 16-mile, overnight “Out of the Darkness” walk organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

Together, Sonya Hovsepian, BSN, RN, Anne Fitzgerald, BSN, RN, Diana Freiberger, BSN, RN, and Molly O’Dea, BSN, RN, raised more than $3,000 for AFSP in support of research, advocacy, survivor resources, education and awareness programs.

Reducing the nation’s suicide rate aligns with Healthy People 2020 – the federal government’s prevention agenda for building a healthier nation.

The nurses received support from leaders, including Siobhan Raftery, MSN, RN, CNRN, who was the unit’s nursing director at that time. The nursing leaders helped adjust schedules to enable participation in the walk, connected with the Office of Strategic Communication to promote the walk and ordered T-shirts for the nurses and their supporters.

Why it’s Magnet: The Structural Empowerment component of Magnet requires an example of the organization’s support of nurses who volunteer in a local or regional community healthcare initiative that aligns with Healthy People 2020, Healthy People 2030 or the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SE10a).

It’s who we are.