I think I might have bitten off a little more than I can chew when I suggested to my unit director that our ER might need some work on diversity. We have committees already- rewards and recognition, mentoring, etc and we are getting ready to move into a shared governance set up within a few months.
My boss suggested that I start a cultural diversity committee along with another nurse. We held our first meeting and not only were we the only two that showed up but we were met with a lot of negative comments and resistance from all of the staff. Comments were made like "I treat everyone the same. Why do we need something like that?" Well...obviously treating everyone the same is not the answer. Each individual has their own, personalized needs, both culturally and medically. Does anyone currently have a diversity committee and/or have any advice to show the staff the need for the committee? I was also wondering what anyone has done to promote culturally sensitive care on their units. Any help would be great!!

Amy Flanning