Painting Possibilities
Dean Sarah Szanton and artist Marisa Morán Jahn are uncovering Baltimore’s rich legacy of community-driven health and education—and reimagining how that history can shape the future of care. Together with nurse practitioners and community collaborators, they explored mid-20th-century movements led by low-income women who organized to create health, recreation, and learning opportunities in their neighborhoods.
The resulting artwork, Re/Creation, exhibited at the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago, celebrates that period of structural resilience—the collective power that emerges when communities care for themselves. Today, that spirit continues to inspire new ideas for caregiving models that honor both older adults and those who support them.
A Growing Lifeline to Real-World Safety
The MyPlan app began as a randomized trial before smartphones even existed, and has evolved into a fully realized tech tool that reaches more than 12,000 users a year. That’s far beyond the capacity of any single shelter or hotline.
Under the leadership of Dr. Nancy Glass, MyPlan has rigorous data showing reductions in reproductive coercion, improvements in mental health, and safer decision-making. Now the team is focused on the next frontier: dissemination. Through UX redesign, digital marketing, global partnerships, and a companion tool for teens, MyPlan is bridging a critical gap for the many survivors who never seek traditional services.
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Focus Forward
DIGITAL TOOL Kit
The Focus Forward Digital Toolkit was created to help amplify the collective power and purpose of nursing. Around the world, nurses are driving discovery, shaping policy, and leading change that moves health forward. This toolkit makes it easy to share that story.
Inside, you’ll find ready-to-use visuals, social media graphics, and customizable templates that help you highlight the impact of nursing in every setting—from research labs to classrooms to communities.
Every post, presentation, and shared message helps shift how the world sees nursing: not just as a profession, but as a driving force for innovation and equity in health.
Download the toolkit. Share it widely.
Because when nursing leads, health moves forward.
SHARE YOUR STORY
We want to see Focus Forward through your eyes.
Share a photo or short video that shows how you’re living one of the four pillars — whether you’re learning something new, mentoring a classmate, innovating in a lab, or volunteering in the community.