Why NIGH? Why Now?

"Problems cannot be solved at the level at which they were created.”    —attributed to Albert Einstein

Following in Florence Nightingale's footsteps, the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health — NIGH — is committed to sharing health with the world.

More than ever before, we are each impacted by the health of everyone else around the world.

Yet, most critical global health issues are under-reported, under-valued and poorly understood.

Although nurses and many others have important knowledge, experience and wisdom, they have yet to effectively share what they know with the general public.

When we connect these dots — we see new levels of innovation to work on these issues.

Our Purpose

The Nightingale Initiative for Global Health (NIGH) is a catalytic grassroots-to-global movement to:

• increase informed public concern for the health of humanity
• empower nurses and concerned citizens with stronger voices
• advocate for the world's deepest needs

Our Mission

NIGH’s mission is to inform and empower nurses and other health care workers and educators to become ‘21st Century Nightingales’ — working in the local, national and global community to build a healthy world.

NIGH seeks to achieve a healthy world by:

• Enabling peoples of the United Nations, as citizens of its Member States, to work together in a worldwide campaign for health as the top global priority;
• Enlisting nurses, other health care workers, educators and concerned citizens to work together effectively — and to collaborate with others of like-mind, heart and spirit — in mobilizing public opinion to this purpose;
• Encouraging individual initiative and cooperative action toward these ends by highlighting the life of Florence Nightingale and the lives other nurses and health care workers—past and present—who have devoted themselves to building a healthy world.

Our Goals

• To build a grassroots movement among nurses, health care workers, educators and concerned citizens — from every country and community — who work together to inform, educate and mobilize public opinion throughout the world towards the adoption of health as the universal priority of the United Nations and its Member States;
• To use communications, media, performing arts and promotional tools for advocacy of these ends;
• To identify, share and actively encourage ‘approaches that work’ to create a healthy world;
• To contribute positive solutions to the worldwide nursing shortage.

UN DPI Status

In 2008, the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health was awarded United Nations DPI — Department of Public Information — Status in recognition of NIGH's work to increase global public awareness about issues related to United Nations' mandates, agencies, concerns and related projects worldwide.

Photo Source: October 2009, NYC Week-end Workshop “Nurturing the Nurse”
where participants planned how to develop their ideas to celebrate the 2010 International Year of the Nurse.
Co-sponsored by Urban Zen, EarthRose and NIGH. Photographer: Rachel Goldstein of Urban Zen

The NIGH USA Board of Directors

The NIGH World Board of Directors

The NIGH International Advisory Board