DREEM Coalition, Galvanizing Future Nurses
Headline image: DREEM Coalition co-founders Reginald & Richelle Humphrey and Aisha and Larry White; Richelle Humphrey and Larry White with attendees
The DREEM (Diversity Resilience Excellence Education and Mentorship) Coalition, a local nonprofit with the goal of emboldening and leading by example a generation of dreamers into the nursing field, hosted a launch event for prospective donors and collaborators at the Holiday Inn Purdue on October 29, 2019.
“Our patient population is changing and we want to increase minorities in that population,” said Co-DREEMer and co-founder Aisha White, a 16-year nurse practitioner with a Masters in Nursing. “When we increase minorities within in our nursing field, then our patient outcomes improve. Patients response to treatments [improve] because they see more people who look like them. We want to do our best to inspire people to join the nursing field.”
According to White, out of the 69,000 registered nurses in the State of Indiana, only 4.2 percent are African-American. Additionally, out of the 5,000 nurse practitioners, only 200 are African-American. And out of all registered nurses in the state, only 9% are male. Daunting numbers, certainly but inflexible.
The rest of the four-person DREEM team includes Aisha’s husband, Larry, who is the managing broker and owner for Liberty Group Reality, and married couple Reginald and Richelle Humphrey, who are a nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist respectively.
The DREEM COALITION will be approaching high schools to introduce would-be nurses in person. “Not only will they hear about nursing, but they will see it,” Reginald Humphrey said. The nonprofit will provide educational resources, like SAT prep, to those interested.
DREEM Coalition has already reached out to other like-minded groups across the city, who target youth, and is looking forward to solidifying future relationships.
All four of the DREEMers are Fort Wayne natives. “This is our weay to give back and strengthen our community,” White said.
To contact the DREEM Coalition, hit up their website DREEMCoalition.com.