Introduction
Ensuring the well-being of the population is a crucial initiative for healthcare providers, which is primarily addressed at the community level. However, the efficiency of measures also depends on following the pre-defined levels of prevention as applied to the conditions presenting risks for specific regions. Therefore, the examination of zip code 33193 and West Kendall Baptist Hospital can help reveal the way such initiatives are developed and theoretically underpinned.
Public/Community Health Nursing and Current Issues
Nursing in public/community health is a critical task that requires long-term strategies for enhancing corresponding indicators. It means a combination of activities intended to increase people’s awareness of their needs regarding the present conditions and improve overall safety by facilitating access to medical services (Baptist Health South Florida, 2019). In this area, there are many issues, and most of them are connected to preventive measures. Thus, current challenges include insufficient healthcare coverage, limited opportunities for maintaining optimal health, and the need for addressing all types of problems, including psychological and mental ones (Baptist Health South Florida, 2019). Therefore, community and public health nurses struggle to address such a variety of tasks.
Zip Code 33193: Health Issue of Concern
The selected community for consideration is zip code 33193, and the information is provided by West Kendall Baptist Hospital. According to its recent Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) report, the main problem that the facility, alongside other healthcare organizations in the area, is attempting to solve is heart disease (Baptist Health South Florida, 2019). This condition is critical for the population because it is the leading cause of death in the region (Baptist Health South Florida, 2019). Hence, prioritizing the needs of people with high risks of developing this problem is crucial for this community’s healthcare.
Levels of Prevention and Examples
In this situation, the target population’s well-being can be improved by nurses incorporating specific programs in their practice, and they will vary depending on the levels of prevention. Thus, the primary level means elaboration of care plans for healthy individuals to limit risks, and in the case of heart disease, it might include maintaining an optimal weight and monitoring blood pressure (Kisling & Das, 2021). The secondary level, which is early detection of the developing issue, aims at revealing hidden pathologic changes and, for the mentioned condition, implies screening for cholesterol levels (Kisling & Das, 2021). In turn, the tertiary level is attributed to the patients with apparent symptoms, and it provides for limitations regarding one’s diet or quitting bad habits, such as smoking (Kisling & Das, 2021). Thus, these examples show how the examined framework works in practice when applied to the risks of heart disease in the selected community.
The Nurses’ Roles and Responsibilities
Nevertheless, the successful implementation of the suggested changes in patient outcomes is conditional upon the willingness of nurses to adhere to the described initiative. Their roles in this respect are connected to the application of an individualized approach when conducting a physical examination and analyzing the findings for further interventions. As for responsibilities, they include lower risks of developing heart disease, which can be ensured only by these specialists, and their awareness of this problem in the community.
Conclusion
To summarize, the analysis shows that heart disease is one of the main challenges for zip code 33193. The data from West Kendall Baptist Hospital allow concluding on the significance of nurses for eliminating the accompanying risks. Their activity with regard to the levels of prevention and the established responsibility might help improve the situation in this community and thereby improve these indicators throughout the country.
References
Baptist Health South Florida. (2019). Community Health Needs Assessment. Web.
Kisling, L.A., & Das, J.M. (2021). Prevention strategies. StatPearls. Web.