Community Settings for Family Health Nurses
Introduction
In recent years, the number of family nurses across the United States has increased significantly due to the increasing demand for community-based healthcare services. Past research has revealed the effectiveness of family nursing care in managing family-based health conditions. The study has further shown that family is capable of controlling certain health conditions provided they follow the guidelines given by the family nurses (Goodman et al., 2019). Both family and community health nurses provide treatment to nurses and offer health care education to family and community members respectively. The nurses have also played a critical role in supporting public health, particularly concerning disease prevention. This paper will discuss community nursing centers, home visiting programs, home education, public health departments, and community education in Lewis Community, Ohio. The paper will further describe how families in the Lewis Community benefit from these facilities and the role of family health nurses in a community setup.
Nurse home visiting programs
Nurse home vising programs started in the US in the 19th century when social workers and public health nurses started to provide health care and home-based education to children and women living in a poor urban environment (Beasley et al., 2018). Since then, the home visiting program has formed a vital component of public health. In the Lewis community, several home care agencies provide nurse home visitation programs to the community members. Examples of such agencies include the following. Lantern West Health home care agency offers home care services to adults and seniors. Inspired In-Home Care which provides home care to pregnant mothers, developmentally disabled people, and seniors. Other home care agencies include Right at Home and Always Best Care of North Columbus
Community Nursing Centers
With the increasing cases of family and community-based nursing care, efforts are shifting to the establishment of community nursing centers which provide opportunities for health-related research and faculty practice. The community nursing centers also serve as clinical laboratories mainly used for student teaching (Hoffman et al., 2017). The transformation in the health care sector has led to the increasing rate of family and community-based health care practices which have triggered the need for more community nursing centers. There are several community-based nursing centers in the Lewis community such as The Inn at Bear Trail that offer senior assisted living and promoting professional growth. First & Main of Lewis Center which connects healthcare providers. And lastly, The Inn at Olentangy Trail which offers memory care and quality assisted living.
Public health departments
Public health refers to the process of protecting and improving people’s health as well as their communities. Public health is enhanced by researching disease and prevention, response to infectious diseases, and promoting healthy lifestyles. Generally, the public health department is responsible for protecting the entire population from diseases and ensuring that the people live a healthy lifestyle (Stanhope et al., 2019). Public health professionals are committed to handling any health-related issues that may arise from the bigger population. For instance, during this period of Corona, The public health department has the mandate of ensuring that the population protected and the people follow the guidelines that limit the infection rate. The Lewis community population falls under the Ohio, public health state department. Other roles of public health department include protecting the population against health hazards, providing an appropriate public health infrastructure, and responding to health-related emergencies.
Home and community education
Home education (homeschooling) refers to the education at family or community level. Education can take place in various places within the community other than school. In most cases, home education is conducted by tutors, parents or any family member or an online teacher (Spiegler, 2017). Homeschooling is increasingly becoming high in this era of technology. There are countries where home education is illegalized. However, in Lewis and the entire United States, home education and c community education has been legalized
Conclusion
In conclusion, family and community-based nursing care are becoming the next big thing in the healthcare sectors. Family and community-based nurses are expected to treat patients and to offer education to the families and the community at large. Family nurses can offer home and community education based on healthcare-related services.
References
Beasley, L. O., Ridings, L. E., Smith, T. J., Shields, J. D., Silovsky, J. F., Beasley, W., & Bard, D. (2018). A qualitative evaluation of engagement and attrition in a nurse home visiting program: From the participant and provider perspective. Prevention Science, 19(4), 528-537.
Goodman, W. B., Dodge, K. A., Bai, Y., O’Donnell, K. J., & Murphy, R. A. (2019). Randomized controlled trial of Family Connects: Effects on child emergency medical care from birth to 24 months. Development and psychopathology, 31(5), 1863-1872.
Hoffman, D., Kehn, M. E., & Lipson, D. J. (2017). The missing link: Examining the impact of housing vouchers and community-based services and supports on transitions from nursing facilities to the community. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 27(4), 243-251.
Spiegler, T. (2017). Parents’ motives for home education: The influence of methodological design and social context. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 3(1), 57-70.
Stanhope, M., Faan, R. D., Lancaster, J., & Faan, R. P. (2019). Public Health Nursing E-Book: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community. Elsevier Health Sciences.