The primary role of the community health nurse (CHN) is to improve illness prevention and overall health within a specific population in the larger community. In order to complete this task effectively, the CHN must collaborate with other disciplines and community stakeholders in four different, but linked aspects. Firstly, there must be collaboration to monitor the group’s health status, as well as the diagnosis and investigation of community health problems. This is accomplished through data collection\/maintenance of data banks, community health assessment, and epidemiologic investigations. The data gathered regarding health status and community health problems is then used to identify risks, disparities, and needs. Additionally, it is used to develop a plan for intervention and locate assets and resources that can be used to address potential issues. (Green, 2013) Secondly, there must be collaboration to build knowledge within the population and shape their attitude about health. This is accomplished through health education initiatives. Additionally, ensuring the public is informed about available choices for their health, and how their decision-making skills and behaviors can affect their quality of life. Employers, faith-based organizations, schools, and healthcare providers can prove to be excellent partners in this aspect by assisting in providing the foundation for policies that support the protection and improvement of health for the individual and the community alike, Additionally, these partnerships can help with the preparations for threats and emergencies. (Green, 2013) Thirdly, there must be collaboration to enforce laws, connect individuals to providers, ensure competency of the health care workforce, and evaluate the effectiveness of the established programs. This might look like establishing a quarantine in response to an outbreak of illness, the use of evidence-based practice in healthcare, identifying barriers to the connection of individuals and care providers\/appropriate coordination of services, ensuring health care providers have an active license, maintaining an attitude of life-long learning, providing education and training, etc. (Green, 2013) Finally, there must be\u00a0collaboration to manage the system effectively. This is accomplished through research and the implementation of evidence-based practice.<\/p>\n

Community resources are important in population health promotion because no single entity can appropriately and effectively provide holistic care to patients on their own. As we all know, every aspect of the individual must be properly cared for so that the individual can attain their highest possible state of wellness, thereby improving the well-being of the community as a whole. Appraising these resources as a part of community assessment is also important because the CHN who is planning interventions for the community must know what resources the community has and how much of that resource they have. For instance, the area of Northern New York that I live in is pretty rural (I have to drive about 30-45 minutes to get to a hospital) so it’s important for me to know that healthcare providers are scarce up here. The scarcity of providers in this area affects a lot of things from how long it takes to get an appointment somewhere to the fact that, when patients come into the hospital, they’re usually pretty sick (especially considering there’s a large Amish population up here as well). If I want to address a health concern of a specific community in this area, I must take the lack of access to providers into account.<\/p>\n