Support DonQuenick With Your Love and Encouragement
Racism in Nursing is Real - Now it’s Time for Accountability
Discrimination and Retaliation at The Medical Center of Aurora (TMCA), a 4-time magnet(tm) hospital
Trial begins Monday August 11, 2025
DonQuenick Joppy is a registered nurse recognized for her expert compassionate practice.
As a critical care/trauma nurse, she was nominated for the prestigious Daisy Award three times in less than two years - 2017-2019.
In his annual evaluation, DonQuenick's manager called her the “consummate encourager” and noted her “compassion and integrity." Patients and families often expressed appreciation for her care.
DonQuenick earned a citation from the American Heart Association and was called ‘Denver’s Neighborhood Nurse’ for promoting awareness and providing CPR training in the community.
But over that same time, DonQuenick also experienced an escalating pattern of racist harassment at TMCA from a group of nurses and supervisors known as “the clique” and “the mean girls (and boys).”
She was regularly demeaned, excluded and the subject of malicious gossip by this group.
She was also given unsafe assignments, often unsupported and physically isolated in a distant part of the unit. She was denied opportunities for professional development, and when she attempted to transfer to a different position, her interview was blocked.
Though DonQuenick repeatedly reported these malicious behaviors and asked for help, her manager and others in positions of responsibility did nothing.
The systematic abuse reached its peak in late May 2019, when nurses in critical care, leadership and human resources fabricated a false narrative around the expected death of an elderly patient. They used their false narrative as a pretext to fire DonQuenick, and in retaliation for her speaking up.
These nurse leaders further weaponized their falsehoods by reporting DonQuenick to the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Colorado Board of Nursing, claiming she abused and neglected the elderly patient.
As a result of this false information, in 2020 the Colorado Attorney General’s Office charged DonQuenick with manslaughter, neglect and abuse. One year later, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office filed a Motion to Dismiss those same charges “in the interest of justice” - which the Court granted. The Colorado Board of Nursing took no action on DonQuenick’s license as a Registered Nurse.
It's important to note that the defendant TMCA is a 4-time magnet(tm) certified hospital by the American Nurses Enterprise, and also subscribes to the "culture of positive recognition" as a customer of The Daisy Foundation.
The past 6 years have been difficult for DonQuenick - she became unhoused and has been separated from her daughter. She is unable to work and has depended on a small group of people for basic support - many she’s never met in person.
Here’s how you can help DonQuenick while holding nurses accountable for their behavior, along with nursing organizations and hospitals for not addressing hostile racist work environments:
- Leave a comment of support and #StandWithDonQuenick
- Share her story with friends and colleagues
- Learn more about DonQuenick and her case in this video series:
"Racism, Nursing and DonQuenick"
https://www.antiracismnursing.org/racism-nursing-donquenick - Follow the Blog at “AntiRacismNursing dot org”
https://www.antiracismnursing.org/blog - Join the Facebook Group “Support for DonQuenick RN”
- Contribute money
