COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING

Community Health Nursing

Building strong and healthy communities requires health promotion initiatives that
effectively address the health needs of a given community. Each community has its own unique
needs and, therefore, meeting its health needs requires proper assessment of its needs and assets
spearheaded by professional community nurses in conjunction with local stakeholders.
Role of community health nurse in partnership with community stakeholders for
population health promotion
The main role of a community health nurse is to promote the health of a given
community. To this end, they need to have unique skills and knowledge in addition to care for
the sick. These skills include social advocacy, political, and teaching skills (Clark, 2015). These
skills are important because to effectively promote community health, they have to act as
community educators (advice community members to make healthy choices), researchers (they
identify community health needs and how to meet them), and advocates (petition state and
federal governments to invest in local healthcare facilities) (Clark, 2015). They carry out these
roles in conjunction with community stakeholders such as political leaders, religious leaders,
local non-profits, and any agencies working in the community (Clark, 2015).
Why it is important to appraise community resources as part of community assessment
and why these resources are important in population health promotion
Community resources are assets that a community has that help it meet its health needs
(Brownson et al., 2017). They include individuals, non-profits, cultural and spiritual assets, and
organizations. Carrying out an assessment of these resources is important because it helps a

COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING
community become aware of their existence and how they can be used to solve their problems
and improve the quality of their life. Additionally, such an assessment helps in prioritizing
community programs. Lastly, the assessment ensures that once a program is started its going to
be brought to successful conclusion because there will be no surprises down the road (Brownson
et al., 2017).
In their goal of promoting community, community nurses have to develop multiple other
skills beyond ability to effectively care for a sick person. They need to develop strong
relationships with local stakeholders without whom they cannot succeed. They also need to
continuously carry out resources that the community has to help it meet its healthcare needs.

COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING

References

Brownson, R. C., Baker, E. A., Deshpande, A. D., & Gillespie, K. N. (2017). Evidence-based
public health. Oxford University Press.
Clark, M. J. (2015). Community health nursing. Prentice Hall.