Community Health
A nurse is working with local government officials and political lobbyists to prompt a vote to improve the school lunch program. The nurse knows that this is an example of:
Advocacy
A school nurse is evaluating the lunch program in the district after a student had a serious anaphylactic reaction to peanuts. The school is located in a community where the median income is only slightly above the poverty level. What new policy would make the most sense in this school?
Make the school a completely peanut-free campus.
A school nurse is concerned that, despite federal funding for the school lunch program, there is still an issue with a high obesity rate in the school district. The nurse found that, despite the highest rate of federal funding for any local school in their district and increased nutrition standards to improve the quality of food, students in the school had the highest obesity rate in the district. What should the school nurse do next?
Interview the students and the parents to learn more about use of the lunch program and current activity levels.
A nurse is having a discussion with a coworker about frustration at the slow rate of positive health policy change. The nurse has attempted to contact the local policy maker about the need to expand public transportation availability for community members struggling to get to work but has not received a response. What might the coworker suggest?
Getting a group of nurses and local residents to work together to make their needs known
A nurse is preparing to teach a class on public health policy and its impact on nursing practice. Which of the following statements is incorrect and should be excluded from the lecture?
Changing health policy does not fall within the scope of nursing practice
There has been a measles outbreak in the county, and the public health officials have called an open meeting to decide what steps they could take to try and reach the immunity threshold among children in the county. They are considering possibly mandating that all children be vaccinated. There is an objection from a community member attending the meeting that this approach violates the rights of individuals. Based on public health policy, the chair of the committee’s most likely response is:
Public health policy is based on the assumption that society has the right to collectively assure conditions for healthy people while taking into account the rights of individuals.
An interdisciplinary team working at the public health department is seeking to obtain funding for a community outreach health clinic in an underserved neighborhood. They have been asked to include a budget for the clinic and a plan for obtaining funding. The team is specifically utilizing:
Public health economics.
The school nurse is involved in multiple activities related to public health policy. Which of the following is an example of public health policy advocacy?
Working with the school board to add nutrition classes in the middle school curriculum
A nurse is caring for a young man complaining about the state of the health-care system. He argues that health care should be left to the free market economy. To explain why relying on the free market is not practical, the nurse responds:
“A free market system is difficult to implement because during emergencies, patients and their families are unable to properly research local emergency care options.”
A nurse is working with the local representative to pass a law raising the legal age for purchasing tobacco to 21 years old. It has been passed into the committee phase of the legislative process. How should the nurse prepare for the next step?
Prepare evidence-based research and current clinical studies to support their position and educate committee members about the medicine behind nicotine addiction in youths
The nurse responsible for outbreak surveillance in a southern Florida public health department in the summer of 2016 was informed that there had been reported cases of the Zika virus. The PHD did not have sufficient funds to address the outbreak. Due to confirmed cases, the CDC allocated funds to this PHD. This included funds for: (Select all that apply.)
Providing perinatal care to pregnant women in the county who might have been infected with the virus.
A nurse has noticed an increase in at-risk drug and alcohol use in the young adult population in the community. The nurse has teamed up with another nurse to formulate a policy that they could put forward to the town council that would address this health concern. Place the following steps in the order in which they should be performed (A–D):
B, D, A, C
_____ A. Brainstorm a list of possible policy interventions.
_____ B. Perform an assessment of the community, looking at social information, the available resources, and needs of the community.
_____ C. Examine the efficiency, effectiveness, and equity of policy alternatives.
_____ D. Establish goals, working with a representative of the young adults living in the community.
A nurse is working at a local community health center. The nurse is speaking with an elderly Native American man who lives on a nearby reservation. He reports that many members of his tribe are struggling to afford health care especially the increased cost of insulin for those with type 2 diabetes. What program should the nurse suggest that the gentleman contact for further assistance?
Indian Health Services
An occupational health nurse is speaking with union representatives about a long-standing problem with insufficient safety equipment at a local surgical center. Where does the nurse suggest they report the problem?
OSHA
A nurse is having a discussion with a patient about who should be responsible for overseeing the public health system and the health of American citizens. The patient states that each person should be responsible for his or her own health. The nurse replies that the American Constitution gives this power to:
State governments.
A nurse is teaching a class on the basic principles of health insurance. The nurse asks the class about benefits of the Affordable Care Act to American citizens. What are some possible responses? (Select all that apply.)
1. Expansion of Medicaid to include more people
2. Coverage of young people under the age of 26 on their parents’ health insurance policy
5. Expansion of access to and coverage of preventative care
A nurse is looking to create policies that would reduce the rate of adolescent E-cigarette use in the local community. Who would be the most important group to consult with when performing a community assessment?
Adolescents living in the community
A team of nurses working at a children’s hospital wish to address the issue of vaccination regulations in their state after seeing a number of children be admitted with preventable childhood diseases. They have decided to put together a petition to the state to change the laws related to vaccine exemptions at the state level. They wish to begin finding good sources of evidence-based practice that could help provide the basis for these policy changes. Which resource would be most helpful?
A nurse is caring for a young child with a severe ear infection in a hospital emergency department. The nurse asks the mother why it took so long for the child to get care, and the mother stated that she couldn’t afford medical bills and that they didn’t qualify for Medicaid. The mother decided not to get health insurance to save money. Once the child has received medical attention, what program does the nurse recommend to the mother?
CHIP