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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Mary C. Jue, RN, MSN, PHN and Joyce Mills, RN, PHN, CS. Nursing Practice Program, California Nurses Association, 2000 Franklin Street, Suite 300, Oakland, CA 94612, 415-661-1708, mary@jue-kuster.com
The impact of the privatization of health care on public health and the ongoing de-emphasis on public health has been evident long before the September 11th attacks. Public health nurses have noted the increased instability of public health nursing programs; their role moving away from general advocacy and toward one of enforcement and categorical interests; the increased difficulty in getting PHN positions filled by qualified personnel; and new and growing public health menaces. In 1997, the California Nurses Association assembled PHNs from several different counties in California and public health programs to examine the status of public health nursing. The discussions focused on the sociopolitical factors that impact the delivery of public health nursing services, the role of the public health nurse as patient/family/community/population advocate and the health of the public health nursing workforce. These sociopolitical factors, the new public health concerns that have emerged in recent decades and strategic recommendations to combat these trends have been outlined in a Public Health Nurse Task Force Report. Since then, the Statewide Public Health Nurse Advocacy Group, composed of 37 public health nurse members and advisors from various counties and representing staff, supervisor/director, academic and policy levels, has been engaged in following through on those recommendations. Advancing the formation of an active and influential statewide public health nurse advocacy group in different states will lead to increased awareness and activism among public health nurses to positively shape their practice and ensure the health of their communities.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, the participants in this session will be able to
Keywords: Advocacy, Public Health Nursing
Related Web page: www.calnurses.org/phn
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.