![]() Public health nurses have helped coordinate and implement disaster plans ( Jakeway et al., 2008), and it was a school nurse working in Queens, New York, in 2009 who first observed and then notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the H1N1 outbreak ( Molyneux, 2009). 2Ĭounseling and supporting community members to assuage fear and anxiety ( Veenema et al., 2020). Each of these entities plays a critical role in the nation’s ability to respond to and recover from disasters and large-scale public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. disaster and public health emergency response includes all licensed nurses (licensed practical/vocational nurses and registered nurses ), civilian and uniformed services nurses at the federal and state levels, nurses who have recently retired, and those who volunteer (e.g., National Disaster Medical System, Medical Reserve Corps, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, and American Red Cross ). The nursing workforce available to participate in U.S. The myriad factors related to national nurse education and training-licensure and certification, scope of practice, mobilization and deployment, safety and protection, crisis leadership, and health care and public health systems support-together define nursing’s capacity and capabilities in disaster response. The ability to care for and protect the nation’s most vulnerable citizens depends substantially on the preparedness of the nursing workforce. ROLES OF NURSES DURING NATURAL DISASTERS AND PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES Only when equipped with the salient knowledge, skills, and abilities can nurses be fully effective in helping to protect the well-being of underserved populations, striving for health equity, and advocating for themselves and other health care workers. It also illuminates the multiple and systemic challenges encountered by nurses in these past events, and identifies bold and essential changes needed in nursing education, practice, and policy across health care and public health systems and organizations to strengthen and protect the nursing profession during and after such events. This chapter explores the contribution of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and across sentinel historical events and describes the impact of natural disasters and public health emergencies on SDOH and health and health care equity. As natural disasters and public health emergencies continue to threaten population health in the decades ahead, articulation of the roles and responsibilities of nurses in disaster preparedness and public health emergency response will be critical to the nation’s capacity to plan for and respond to such events.Īs described in the conceptual model framework developed by the committee to guide this study (see Figure 1-1 in Chapter 1), strengthening nurses’ capacity to aid in disaster preparedness and public health emergency response is one of the key ways to enhance nursing’s role in addressing SDOH and improving health and health care equity. Most severely affected by these systemic flaws are individuals and communities of color that suffer disproportionately from the compound disadvantages of racism, poverty, workplace hazards, limited health care access, and preexisting health conditions that reflect the role of social determinants of health (SDOH) and inequities in access to health and health care that are a primary focus of this report. health care system that have resulted in significant excess mortality and morbidity, glaring health inequities, and an inability to contain a rapidly escalating pandemic. COVID-19 has revealed deep chasms within a fragmented U.S. The increasing frequency of natural and environmental disasters, along with public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights the critical importance of having a national nursing workforce prepared with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to respond. But fundamental reform is needed in nursing education, practice, research, and policy across both health care and public health settings to ensure that all nurses-from front-line professionals to researchers-have the baseline knowledge, skills, abilities, and autonomy they need to protect populations at greatest risk and improve the readiness, safety, and support of the nursing workforce. ![]() They educate and protect people, engage with and build trust with the community, help people prepare and respond, and foster resilience to help communities fully recover. Nurses have been and continue to be pivotal in safeguarding the public during and after these disasters, as well as public health emergencies-most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past decade, 2.6 billion people around the world have been affected by earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |