Day 9: The Confederate Nurses Enterprise - A Thought Experiment
Mar 26, 2026
Image Source - 2024 ANCC National Magnet and Pathway to Excellence Conference Recap (video)
As of today, March 26, 2026 two hundred and eighteen days have passed since the verdict in Joppy v. HCA HealthOne, the landmark case at the intersection of racism in nursing, workplace mobbing and Civil Rights.
The enterprise hasn’t commented on the verdict in Joppy v. HCA HealthOne. They’ve never acknowledged the facts underlying the case, or even responded to direct outreach by several people over several years, which leads to the obvious question: What’s their strategy?
We can only speculate, so I developed a list of ten potential reasons. We’re exploring each of these ten possible reasons over ten business days, and after eight days evidence shows:
1. The enterprise has been aware of Joppy v. HCA HealthOne since early to mid 2022, when Joppy’s claims of race discrimination and retaliation were filed in US District Court;
2. The enterprise is at least aware of the issues in Joppy v. HCA HealthOne, i.e. race discrimination and retaliation in the nursing workplace;
3. The enterprise may not understand or appreciate the legal and historical significance of Joppy v. HCA HealthOne, which if true is a dereliction of duty.
4. The enterprise does more than just comment about ongoing cases. According to their CNO, “(W)e often have outreach with the individual or their representative or their attorney and we let them tell us what would be most helpful, particularly when it’s a legal issue.”
5. The enterprise and AACN policies regarding what issues they choose to speak on and who they choose to advocate for are confusing and contradictory.
6. If the enterprise is silent because it finds the racism and workplace mobbing evident in Joppy v. HCA HealthOne disturbing, disquieting and/or uncomfortable, that’s evidence of moral failure from an org that says it serves the interests of over five million registered nurses. It’s cowardice.
7. Testimony and other evidence in Joppy v. HCA HealthOne undermines the myth of “most trusted profession” and makes the latest slogan “the power of nurses” sound like a creepy threat - “the power of nurses to do what?!?” Testimony in Joppy v. HCA HealthOne also raises questions about the purpose and value of two enterprise "must haves” - Daisy and magnet(tm).
8. The enterprise may not want to call attention to Joppy v. HCA HealthOne because the perpetrators were all white women. That could cause angst. Members could quit. There’s precedent for this fear, most recently since 2016.
Here’s what remains:
9. The enterprise is aligned with the Defendant in Joppy v. HCA HealthOne;
10. The enterprise has a financial conflict regarding Joppy v. HCA HealthOne.
Today is Day 9, so let’s see if the enterprise is aligned with the Defendant in Joppy v. HCA HealthOne.
9. The enterprise is aligned with the Defendant in Joppy v. HCA HealthOne
The enterprise generates revenue from nurses as individuals and in groups several ways.
It operates a professional organization that sells memberships, a grantmaking foundation that solicits contributions, and a business with several product lines under the umbrella of credentialing.
The enterprise is also a corporate partner of the Daisy Foundation, an international nonprofit charitable organization that sells a “positive recognition” program celebrating certain nurses with pins, balloons, certificates, statuettes and cinnamon rolls.
Neither organizations can say or do anything that undermines their professed mission and values, because the Defendant subscribes to their guidance for a healthy nursing workplace culture of respect and positive recognition.
It’s possible that the enterprise doesn’t want to call attention to Joppy v. HCA HealthOne because the enterprise is aligned with the Defendant HCA HealthOne who lost the case and not with the Plaintiff Nurse Joppy who prevailed.
Tomorrow's final speculation: The enterprise has a financial conflict regarding Joppy v. HCA HealthOne. Let's follow the money
