Hello Class,

I hope you had fun with the wordsearch! All of you found the answers which are 

1. LOCAL POLITICIANS
2. COMMUNITY MEMBERS
3. LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS 
4. HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
5. SCHOOLS

One of the things we are looking at in your discussion questions this week is what you can do to impact the overall health of your community. I realize this seems like a very daunting task, but it is very import to realize your influence within your community.

 

An example of health concern within my community is the high incidence of melanoma and other types of skin cancer. I live in southwest Florida which means lots of sun and high ultraviolet light (UV) index’s throughout the year. The average UV index in my county is 6, which is considered high by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, 2011). For a UV index this high it is recommended individuals only spend 10-60 minutes outside at a time and use sunscreen, sunglasses, wear a hat, long sleeve shirts, and seek shade (Pustisek, Sikanić-Dugić, Hirsl-Hećej, & Domljan, 2010). This is a challenge when one is dealing with children. Studies show that 80% of an adult’s sun exposure occurs before age 18 (Pustisek et al., 2010) with 50% or more occurring during childhood, often times resulting in moderate to severe sun burns (Shanton Saleheen, O’Riordan, & Roy, 2003). These statistics underscore the need for children to have adequate sun protection when outside. As a politically active nurse within my community, my agenda would be to ensure playgrounds provide children with adequate shade to decrease the incidence of sun related damage and disease within my community.

 

Now, remember those stakeholders? Constructing shades structures is not a cheap endeavor. It will be a major challenge to get funding for this effort with the financial deficit and cutbacks our local and state governments face. It will be critical to get stakeholder support throughout the community, not just the politicians. Other stakeholders to consider include community members, health care professionals, faith-based institutions, schools, the health department, and other health driven community organizations. These groups can petition to community leaders such as county commissioners, county council members, the county manager, and county parks and recreation leaders with a proposal for the change.

 

It will be important to be armed with data. A community survey should be preformed to assess how many schools, parks, and community playgrounds are without adequate shade. Also, research and statistics showing this as a community health issue would be important to secure buy-in. Also, Healthy People 2020 goals and initiatives related to skin cancer should be included to further impress the need for shade structures.  The nurse activist could get quotes from multiple companies on the cost of shade structures, and could map a time line for construction. 

 

As you can see, planning is an essential component when looking to create change. Please share what nurses are doing in your community to create change. An excellent place to look is your local news, local newspapers, and organizations within the community. 

 

 

 

References

 

Environmental Protection Agency. (2011).UV Index.

     Retrieved from 

     http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html

Lewis-Washington, C., & Holcomb, L. (2010). Empowering

     community health: An educational approach. Journal

     of Community Health Nursing, 27(4), 197-206.

     doi:10.1080/07370016.2010.515454

Pustisek, N., Sikanić-Dugić, N., Hirsl-Hećej, V., &

     Domljan, M. (2010). Acute skin sun damage in children

     and its consequences in adults. Collegium

     Antropologicum, 34(2), 233-237.

Shanton, W. R., Saleheen, H., O’Riordan, D., & Roy, C. R.

     (2003). Environmental conditions and variation in

     levels of sun exposure among children in child care.

     International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 10(4),

     285-298.