Colorado's Public Health Nurse Practice Council

Public health nurses (PHN) play a key role in the delivery of public health services throughout Colorado. To support PHNs in their diverse roles, the Public Health Nurses Association of Colorado (PHNAC) developed the “Practice Council” in 2010, focusing on promoting and advancing the professional role of public health nursing in Colorado. The purpose of this presentation twofold:  To share the history, purpose, mission and structure of this model; And to disseminate the impactful efforts of the Practice Council on the work of PHNs across the state.

PHNAC’s Practice Council is comprised of a governing board and five workgroups representing PHNs from multiple agencies across the state.  It plays a key role in connecting rural and urban PHNs from multiple sub-specialties in a unified statewide representation of PHN practice.   Each work group is focused on specific areas of public health nursing practice and are as follows: PHN Competencies, PHN Practice and Research, PHN Support and Development, PHN Advocacy and PHN Hot Topics.  This presentation will additionally discuss the specific contributions of these workgroups. 

The presence of an organization dedicated to advancing PHN practice is critical to the future success of public health nursing, which is a unique specialty combining expertise from both nursing and public health.  In this dynamic health care and public health environment, the Practice Council is cognizant of advancing the practice of public health nursing through shared knowledge, skills and resources that honor the distinctive contributions of PHNs to the one body of public health work.