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Thank you public health nurses

By Nancy McGraw, Sullivan County Public Health  Director
Posted 5/10/22

National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale's birthday. As we recognize National Nurses …

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Thank you public health nurses

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National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale's birthday. As we recognize National Nurses Week, we have an opportunity to inform the public about the many roles and value of nurses in the public health field. Most people are more familiar with the role of nurses in doctor’s offices, emergency rooms and in hospitals, but how many people can define what it is that nurses in public health actually do on a daily basis? 

The primary focus of public health nursing is to promote health and prevent disease for entire population groups. Public health nurses may care for individual patients, such as in home health care, but they are also professionals who participate in initiatives that address the social determinants of health in a community. This can reduce or prevent exposures that may cause injury, illness or premature death. This is done by advocating for safe and affordable housing, promoting child safety, teaching child development and parenting skills, or providing immunizations or educating about the prevention of substance use. Nurses in the public health field have contributed to many historical public health achievements, including an increase in healthier mothers and babies, improving access to prenatal care, improvements in family planning and education, and a decrease in the spread of infectious diseases.

A major goal of public health nursing is to enhance the capacity of individuals, families and communities to cope with their health needs. They do this by performing nursing assessments on pregnant, parenting, high risk women and their children and implementing care plans to ensure health and safety to clients and/or their families. The maternal child health nurse in public health also coordinates care and serves as a mandated reporter for child, dependent/elder abuse, and domestic violence, making referrals and assisting families in obtaining help to strengthen their family unit, and ensuring a family’s basic needs can be met through the medical, social, financial and spiritual supports available to them.

The professionalism of our nurses in public health is something I am very proud of. As we saw during the pandemic over the past two years, Sullivan County’s public health nurses have been a critical resource and provided over 17,660 COVID-19 vaccinations to residents in 131 separate vaccination clinics throughout Sullivan County.

Some also conducted thousands of case investigations and contact tracing, offered advice for facilities on infection control and provided health education.

Many thousands of collective hours were spent immunizing children, teens and adults, providing reassurance to the highest risk elderly and homebound, and teaching our communities how to stay safe with basic preventive measures such as hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing.

We are deeply appreciative of the dedication and caring of these nurses in collaboration with their public health colleagues and community partners.

During National Nurses Week, “Celebrating Nurses Who Make a Difference,” take time to say thank you to all of the nurses who protect, support and fill critical roles in public health to help improve the overall health of communities in Sullivan County.

Nancy McGraw, MPH, MBA, LCSW, is the Public Health Director for Sullivan County Public Health Services.

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