Public Health Nurses: Protecting and Improving The Health of our Community

Uncas Health District is proud to introduce their newest member of the team, Cindy Arpin. Cindy is a registered nurse and will be the new public health nurse for the region this month.  Public health nurses are different from registered nurses in that their “patient” is the community, not necessarily an individual. In addressing the health needs of the community, public health nurses help keep people out of hospitals by keeping them healthier.  Public health nurses have been an active part of community health initiatives since the mid-1800’s when Florence Nightingale first organized groups of nurses to help improve the health of individual neighborhoods assigned to them in London, England.

Public health nurses provide a variety of services to the community. Their clinical experience treating individuals is used to address the health needs of the community and stresses the prevention of illness, injury and disease over the treatment of such conditions. Public health nurses perform a variety of duties that help improve the health of the community. According to the American Public Health Association, public health nurses help bring the health needs of underrepresented groups to the forefront of policy makers minds and help these groups take charge of their health by recommending health care providers and educating them on ways small changes and greatly improve their health. In doing this, public health nurses use their clinical knowledge to prevent injuries, illnesses, and disability while helping maintain the health of the community as a whole.

The tasks carried out by public health nurses are numerous and each is important to increasing the overall health of the community. The provision of information and education to community members is perhaps the most important duty of a public health nurse.  Education allows people to become empowered, and learn how to better improve their health. Examples of education/information provided by public health nurses include, where to find health care services such as programs for mothers and newborns (WIC), emphasize the importance of childhood immunizations, how to decrease asthma triggers in the home, how to improve diet, how to increase physical activity with small changes to ones lifestyle, among many others.

 Public health nurses also play a key role in preventing the spread of disease in the community. They monitor patients within the community with tuberculosis infections and have, in the past, played key roles in preventing the spread of other infectious diseases. In 2009, public health nurses played an important role in preventing the spread of H1N1 (swine flu) within our community. Public health nurses through out the state administered thousands of vaccinations to children, the elderly, pregnant women and eventually anyone who wanted one to prevent the spread of the disease. Their efforts have undoubtedly saved countless lives and improved the health and wellbeing of many residents within the region.

Public health nurses are essential to maintaining and improving the health of residents in our community. Please join me in welcoming Cindy to Uncas Health District. For more information on the services that public health nurses provide, or pursuing a career in public health nursing please visit the American Public Health Associations website at www.apha.org or contact your local health department, Uncas Health District, at www.uncashd.org.