Preface
Long Description for Figure 1
Assessment includes the following. Assess and monitor population health. Investigate, diagnose and address health hazards and root causes. Policy development includes the following. Communicate effectively to inform and educate. Strengthen, support, and mobilize communities and partnerships. Create champion and implement policies, plans and laws. Utilize legal and regulatory actions. Assurance includes the following. Enable equitable access. Build a diverse and skilled workforce. Improve and innovate through evaluation, research, and quality improvement. Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health.
Guiding principles for this text focus on community health nursing roles, competencies, challenges, responsibilities, and opportunities for impact that are best considered through the lens of social justice. Social justice promotes the concept that everyone has the right and opportunity to reach their highest level of health and well-being. Quality health care access, education, safe housing, safe living, and safe work environments are the premise for a just society. Our shared belief is that this lens should apply throughout all aspects of professional nursing, including community health. We believe the commitment to social justice is necessary to guide policy, inform actions, and evaluate the allocation of resources to reduce health disparity and level the playing field for all persons when it comes to health. The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics Provision 9 calls special attention to the role of nursing in integrating the principles of social justice and health policy.[1] Likewise, a core principle supporting the information in this text is an unyielding position that social justice principles should guide all actions necessary to bring about systematic change at all levels of our society and in all domains.
This book responds to the American Nurses Association call and petitions readers to ground their practice in the ethics and values that protect human rights, promote equitable health policy, and reduce disparities.
A Note to Students
We wrote this book with you in mind. It is imperative that as a future nurse, you recognize your unique opportunity to bring about change to improve the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations. We hope you will use the knowledge gained from this book, the expanse of your nursing education, and your life experiences to do the active work of improving access to care, inclusion, justice, fairness, and equity and will support the rights of all to fully participate in their communities and move toward self-actualization.
Our desire is that as you read this book, you will become enlightened and consider ways you can engage in facilitating change from your current sphere of influence to the level of state and federal policy development. All nurses must be willing to do this and be able to do so. This textbook highlights th