that all nurses engaged in advanced practice regardless of specialty have a working
knowledge of the concepts of the wellness–illness continuum from a community or
population perspective.
Nurses have taken a leading role in public health administrative activities and also
in responding to public health emergencies. To counter acts of biological terrorism,
there is a great need to understand and report the unexplained illness to the responsible
agencies (Mondy, Cardenas, & Avila, 2003). Nurses are often the first health
professional contacts in such emergencies, when critical information needs to be identified
and reported promptly. They have clinical expertise and are also capable of
functioning within the community and influencing and evaluating health policy
changes. Nurses continue to face challenges as they work to educate the community
on specific health needs, mobilize resources, and effectively implement public health
policy guidelines. Because nurses have access to families, they often have opportunities
to establish beneficial relationships with those in the community. Beyond communicating
only with individual patients, exposure to families may be especially useful
in identifying such issues as chemical abuse, domestic violence, harmful lifestyles,
emotional problems, and other issues arising that may be related to socioeconomic
conditions. When health problems are detected early, intervention may be more effective
and the expenditure of scarce healthcare resources reduced