Community health nurses play a vital role in the functioning of any community. Firstly, community nurses are indispensable due to the direct treatment that they provide to patients, extending healthcare services to homes and other local facilities outside of hospitals. However, their involvement with community welfare is not limited to their primary duties. In addition to treatment, they work with the prevention of illness, establish coordination between patients and the health system, and take part in improving public health. This role is mainly carried out by nurses due to their in-depth training and the flexibility of their position in the healthcare sector (Butler & Diaz, 2017). The contribution of nurses to public health promotion may be even more extensive if they collaborate with other interested organizations.
Collaboration with various community stakeholders allows for an even more efficient promotion of public health. Organizations and individuals involved in different spheres may help identify the origin of health issues, provide commentary on the social determinants of the population, and apply preventive or health-promotional measures in their respective settings. For example, joining efforts with teachers and youth center directors may utilize education to implement preventive strategies (Quinn et al., 2019). In some cases, groups of community stakeholders are created in order to address health issues in specific areas, and their efforts prove to be highly successful. An example of such cooperation is The Westlawn Partnership for a Healthier Environment (WPHE), which focuses on health risks related to environmental hazards (Dressel et al., 2021). The impact of WPHE has been tremendously beneficial. It is evident that partnership between nurses and other organizations brings positive results.
Additionally, it is important to recognize the role of community resources in population health. Consideration of available resources, such as schools and spiritual organizations, is necessary for an adequate public health assessment (Bender, 2017). Statistics on the use of resources provide essential data on public health determinants. Partnership with stakeholders facilitates access to the necessary information. It also enables the use of facilities and information channels associated with or belonging to said organizations. Thanks to that, it is possible to adjust existing community resources in order to use them for public health promotion.
References
Bender, K. (2017). Knowing your community. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 23, 6-8. Web.
Butler, S., & Diaz, C. (2017). Nurses as intermediaries in the promotion of community health: Exploring their roles and challenges. Building Healthy Neighborhoods Series, 1-25. Web.
Dressel, A., Bell‐Calvin, J., Lee, E., Hermanns, L., Anderko, L., Swaney, V. & Yeldell, S. (2021). Sustaining a nurse‐led community partnership to promote environmental justice. Public Health Nursing, 38(2), 136-140. Web.
Quinn, B. L., El Ghaziri, M., & Knight, M. (2019). Incorporating social justice, community partnerships, and student engagement in community health nursing courses. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 14(3), 183-185. Web.