Community Health Nursing
Darlene Claridad Lleno
BSN 2A A .DESCRIPTION OF A COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER
A community health worker is one who provides basic community health care services for promotion of health, prevention of illness, simple treatment and rehabilitation. The services utilizes the philosophy, content, method and skills of public health care. While most nurses care for one patient at a time, public health nurses care for entire populations. By working with whole communities, public health nurses are able to educate people about health issues, improve community health and safety and increase access to care.
Public health nurses:
Monitor health trends and identify health risk factors unique to specific communities.
Set local priorities for health-related interventions to provide the greatest benefit to the most people.
Advocate with local, state and federal authorities to improve access to health services for underserved communities.
Design and implement health education campaigns and disease prevention activities, such as immunizations and screenings.
Tell people about locally available health care programs and services to improve access to care.
Educate and provide direct health care services to vulnerable and at-risk populations.
Public health nurses believe a person's health is affected by many factors, including genetic makeup, lifestyle and environment. Instead of waiting for patients to come to the hospital with an illness, they go into communities to try and help people improve their health and prevent disease. For people who don't have access to care, public health nurses may also provide direct health care services, including preventive care, screening services and health education.
Health education is a primary focus of public health nurses. Drawing on their training as registered nurses, public health nurses give people reliable, useful information about how to protect their health. In presentations at schools, community groups, senior centers and other local
BSN 2A A .DESCRIPTION OF A COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER
A community health worker is one who provides basic community health care services for promotion of health, prevention of illness, simple treatment and rehabilitation. The services utilizes the philosophy, content, method and skills of public health care. While most nurses care for one patient at a time, public health nurses care for entire populations. By working with whole communities, public health nurses are able to educate people about health issues, improve community health and safety and increase access to care.
Public health nurses:
Monitor health trends and identify health risk factors unique to specific communities.
Set local priorities for health-related interventions to provide the greatest benefit to the most people.
Advocate with local, state and federal authorities to improve access to health services for underserved communities.
Design and implement health education campaigns and disease prevention activities, such as immunizations and screenings.
Tell people about locally available health care programs and services to improve access to care.
Educate and provide direct health care services to vulnerable and at-risk populations.
Public health nurses believe a person's health is affected by many factors, including genetic makeup, lifestyle and environment. Instead of waiting for patients to come to the hospital with an illness, they go into communities to try and help people improve their health and prevent disease. For people who don't have access to care, public health nurses may also provide direct health care services, including preventive care, screening services and health education.
Health education is a primary focus of public health nurses. Drawing on their training as registered nurses, public health nurses give people reliable, useful information about how to protect their health. In presentations at schools, community groups, senior centers and other local