community health nursing

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Help, I am in community health class and my project was to find a newspaper article that focused on an environmental health exposure risk. I found one in which a local power plant smokestack released a black dust layer which covered surrounding community, cars, ground etc. I discovered through research of this that the material component was orificenic and lead. My question is what does the community health nurse do? I need some initial direction, hopefully from a nurse that is employed in this setting..thank you.

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Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.

You seem to have a good start on an interesting topic - kind of frightening that this actually goes on. Something similar happened in my community a few years back, and the local healthcare providers were sent a list of signs and symptoms that might manifest in their patients who had been exposed to the airborn contaminants. Soooo, what symptoms might your community begin to exhibit if they had been exposed? Also, think about people in the community who might be especially vulnerable. To get you started, what about patients who already have asthma, COPD, etc? What about the elderly or very young and how would they react differently, if at all?

This should give you something to go on I think. I am sure others will chip in. Good luck.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, IM, OB/GYN, neuro, GI.

A couple of years ago a mulch factory spontaneously combusted and had the horrible smoldering fire for a good three weeks off and on (FD couldn't put it out because the mountains of mulch were burning from the middle out). I digress. The community health nurses went on the news and told peopl who had a hx of asthma, COPD, or any other resp problems to stay inside and if they needed anything to call their outreach number for help.

In your case it would be similar. Anyone with respiratory problems should be extremely careful about coming in contact with this dust while it's falling or trying to remove it. Stay inside and if they need to go out either wear a mask or use a damp shirt (traps smaller particles) to cover the mouth while outside. Make sure you include people without resp problems (the precautions would be the same as resp problems). What symptoms to look for if they're experiencing problems from the dust (coughing up black stuff/blood, plus the symtoms of lead and orificenic in your case), who to call if you start having these symtoms and where to go to get treated (in both cases they wanted people to go to ER's and state that the fires caused the problems because they hadn't ruled out arson so they were using the people affected by the fire towards the possible case).

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Thank you so much for heading me in the right direction. I am off and running now with alot of research articles in front of me too, now to figure out how best to compile all this together..thanks again, it helped me to see the bigger pic..

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