Being a community nurse involves not just the primary role of providing healthcare services but also interact with the population living in the community. It is, therefore, to ensure that the characters I play in the community fully respects the dignity of the people. To achieve this, the manner of communication is very crucial. Authencity during interactions as well as maintaining a positive attitude is vital to make them comfortable and more responsive when taking information or views from them. In a job that requires collaboration with the community, advocacy skills such as confidentiality and autonomy are of great importance. Another role that will help significantly in improving community health identifying the cultural values in the community that promote health such as values, characteristics, and strengths that exist among the population and enhancing them through use of participatory practices.  Identifying critical health issues in the community and determining the ones that require a high priority than the rest is an important skill that I can use as a community nurse to boost the healthcare of a community.

Are There Gaps Between Community Resources And Health Needs?

In the community, the needs to improve healthcare overpower the resources available to achieve the same. For example, the need to have clean and safe drinking and recreational water in the community has been slowed down due to inadequate resources necessary for providing fluoridated water. Most people agree that prevention is better than cure, as expressed in the excerpt “A fence or an ambulance,” that states that allocating more resources to curb health problems is better than having to face the outcome of it. This stresses the need for allocating more resources aimed at improving community health for all by reducing these gaps. Discuss The HP 2020 Objective Needed To Decrease The Health Risks Of The Identified Population

The Healthy People 2020 is a federal government strategic plan that provides science-based ten-year nation objectives for improving health equality for all Americans. One of the several goals of this plan is to create social and physical environments that promote good health for all. This objective can be reached if specific steps are taken in the community. One of these steps is reducing outdoor air pollutants. The population should be guided and educated on the effects of air pollutants and actions that can be taken to reduce exposure levels. Another step that is crucial to achieving this goal is reducing potential public health risks related to drinking and recreational water. This can be achieved by developing and promoting strategies that provide benefits of fluoridation and utilizing tools to conduct sanitary surveys to monitor water quality at beaches and other recreational facilities. These are the significant steps that are needed to achieve the goal of improving healthy environments in the community.

Please Discuss Specific Health Promotion Education Needs You Have Discovered.

One of the health promotion education action that needs to be taken is the distribution and development of outreach materials to primary audiences such as teachers, property owners, and employers about effects of the environment, both physical and social on the matters of health. These materials should include intensive strategies for vulnerable populations such as children, the disabled and elderly in the community. On the issue of occupational injuries and illnesses, developing respiratory protection programs like written policies and procedures for fit testing, employee training, medical clearance, appropriate selection of respirators and training in use and maintenance of these respirators.

References

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2015). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community. Elsevier Health Sciences.

National Vaccine Advisory Committee. (2013). Strategies to achieve the healthy people 2020 annual influenza vaccine coverage goal for health-care personnel: recommendations from the national vaccine advisory committee. Public Health Reports, 128(1), 7-25.

Marmot, M. (2005). Social determinants of health inequalities. The Lancet, 365(9464), 1099-1104.