This essay is part of Antioch Voices, a forum for Antiochians to speak out about issues important to them. Opinions expressed here belong to the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Antioch University. If you’d like to share your own voice, the first step is to send a short description of what you are planning to write about to [email protected].
Healthcare for humanity is the premise of the Graduate School of Nursing and Health Professions (GSNHP). Now more than ever, we need to prepare healthcare leaders who will be advocates for healthcare and act in the best interests of all humanity.
The democracy of healthcare and nursing is under threat, as evidenced by recent events in our country. Vaccinations of children are being tempered by politics, while measles cases are increasing in 2025, and already in 2026, there are 416 cases reported (CDC, 2026). Although the messaging has changed since 2023, the rhetoric around vaccinations impacted the number of outbreaks seen in 2025. Most cases (95%) were in individuals with no immunization, in fear of what non-evidence-based information was being given.
During the 2019-2020 COVID pandemic, nurses were proclaimed as “heroes” for doing work that was exalted by all political parties. Today, nursing is being told that it is not a “profession” and thus federal funding for nursing education will not be available at increased levels needed to pay for education. In less than five years, nursing has gone from an “essential” profession to a non-profession.
Most recently, a fellow intensive care unit registered nurse was gunned down for trying to advocate for humanity and check on someone in danger. His last words were, “Are you ok?” The same words all nurses ask a thousand times. He was gunned down because one person owned a gun, and multiple armored ICE enforcement personnel were threatened? Not because he had done anything wrong, not because he was an immigrant, but because he was doing what he and other nurses like him are called to do, make sure others are “ok.” We are called to a higher profession that values advocacy and care and requires sacrifice for all people. Having been an ICU nurse for over 25 years, I can tell you that my colleagues and I have been threatened, hit, spat at, and subjected to other abusive actions, but I was able to restrain a patient without the use of force and certainly not emptying a clip.
So, what are we GSNHP Antiochians doing? We are advocating against the injustice of these examples that are a threat to our healthcare. We are signing petitions through the American Nurses Association, we are writing letters to our representatives and senators, we are serving on state boards so our voices can be heard, we are spreading the truth about evidence-based vaccinations, and we are not going to let Alex Pretti’s name be forgotten.
Diane White
Diane White, PhD, RN, is the Founding Dean of Antioch’s Graduate School of Nursing and Health Professions and a nurse-educator committed to expanding access to high-quality healthcare education and advancing health equity. She began her career as a surgical ICU nurse at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, and later served as the Founding Dean of the School of Health Sciences at Georgia Gwinnett College. White holds a PhD in Nursing from Georgia State University and has led innovations in curriculum design, simulation labs, accreditation, and experiential learning. Her scholarship focuses on emotional intelligence, cultures of care, and DEI in nursing education.
