Holland Recieves First Ujima Award

The BWH Department of Nursing in February honored Sondra Holland, RN, of CWN 7, with the first BWH Nursing Ujima Award in recognition of her more than 36 years of delivering compassionate, culturally-sensitive care to patients.

“Sondra is well known for building a sense of community on her unit by working in partnership with colleagues to enhance the care that is provided to multicultural patients and families,” said Mairead Hickey, PhD, RN, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of Patient Care Services.

Angelleen Peters-Lewis, PhD, RN, director of the Center for Women and Newborns, presented Holland the award, highlighting her work as a mentor and preceptor. “Sondra is very involved in the unit and is always available for expert consultation,” she said.

Holland was nominated for the award by her nurse manager, Bernadette Quigley-Lavoie, RN, and her colleagues, who wrote a letter of support detailing her dedication to being a mentor and preceptor. In 2004, she was voted Mentor of the Year for her continuous support of mentorship programs.

Holland said her passion for Nursing is still growing. “I love to teach and to be given the chance to continuously reflect. I am fortunate to learn something new everyday,” she said.

The Department of Nursing established the Ujima Award this year to recognize and celebrate contributions of black nurses at BWH. Ujima is one of the seven principles of Kwanza, which focuses on family, community and culture. The award ceremony featured performances by Angela Perry, BWH Idol winner and transplant finance coordinator, and youth dancers from the Jubilee Christian Church. Jabbar Bennett, PhD, administrative director for the Office for Multicultural Faculty Careers, led a prayer, and Debra Washington, PhDc, RN, director of diversity at MGH, was the keynote speaker.

“You learn intellectually, but you understand emotionally. You’re going to have to feel it to take this journey if you are in it for the long haul,” she said. “The challenge you all have with diversity programs is how to make the dreams of all visible so they can be nurtured.”

Hickey highlighted the importance of recognizing and celebrating multicultural employees at the celebration. “It’s clear that excellent nursing care is culturally-sensitive and the best nursing staff, as a whole, reflects the community that we serve,” she said. “As a department and an institution, we are committed to delivering culturally-competent care and to eliminating racial disparities in health care.”