Professional nursing organizations: Influencing policy affecting the health status of African American communities

Leaders of professional nursing and health organizations must always be cognizant of the vision and mission of their organization as they plan strategically to implement programs of service to meet the needs of communities they intend to serve. This article describes the experiences of the National Black Nurses Foundation (NBNF) in fulfilling its mission and vision by the development of programs and provision of services to minority and underserved communities in the United States.