Subject(s)
Health Policy , Health Status , Minority Groups , Black or African American , Financing, Government , Health Promotion , United StatesABSTRACT
The development of partnerships with physicians and other health professionals is a key strategy to improving the community's health. This article reviews the role of nurse leaders as advocates for health care improvement and leading community improvement efforts.
Subject(s)
Community Networks/organization & administration , Models, Organizational , Nurse Administrators/psychology , Physician-Nurse Relations , Black or African American , Cooperative Behavior , Forecasting , Health Promotion/organization & administration , Humans , Societies, Nursing , United StatesABSTRACT
In 1991, the National Black Nurses Association was awarded a contract from the Division of Nursing, United States Department of Health and Human Services to develop a community education program addressing eight Healthy People 2000 objectives. Healthy People 2000 is the United States Public Health Services's statement of national priorities for improving the health of all Americans. It provides a framework to reduce preventable deaths and disabilities, and equalize disparities in health status for specific populations. The NBNA Board of Directors chose to address five priority areas: infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and recruitment and retention of Blacks in nursing. For each area, specific nursing responsibilities were identified: health promotion, health protection, disease prevention, preventive clinical services, and surveillance and data requirements. The authors developed a model for implementation of the NBNA's Healthy America Report recommendations. The model and data from program implementation are presented with commentary on the efficacy of community partnership models to achieve preventive health goals.
Subject(s)
Black or African American , Community Participation , Health Priorities , Models, Nursing , Societies, Nursing , Humans , Research Support as Topic , United StatesABSTRACT
Shifts in power within the nursing profession and the health care system raise questions as to how nursing will develop and use its power. As a model for political action, empowerment involves the development of three dimensions; (a) raising the conscious of socio-political realities; (b) positive self-esteem; and (c) political skills needed to negotiate and change the health care system. This paper discusses these dimensions as they relate to nurses within a feminist context.
