Community Health Nursing
- Berwickwide Community Health Nurse Profiles. Click here
- Cranbourne Community Health Nurse Profiles. Click here
Community Health Nursing is a synthesis of nursing practice, Public Health practice, Health Promotion and Primary Health Care.
The practice of community health nursing expands into the areas of disease prevention, health enhancement, empowerment, advocacy, community development and research.
The nature of community health nursing is comprehensive directed towards the individual, families and the community at large. The community health nurse fulfils a unique role in the community, promoting and protecting the health of the community, whilst using a framework of sustainability.
Community health nursing acts to promote optimum health of individuals and the community by promoting the right to informed choice, advocacy and self determination.
Community health nurses identify and challenge barriers to wellness and empower people to change the agents that effect their health adversely. Community health nursing practice is built upon the foundation of nursing science. Community health nurses within Berwickwide Community Health Service (B.C.H.S), have all undertaken additional education to practice as community health nurses within a Primary Health Care setting.
Primary health care as described by WHO (World Health Organisation) recognises that this setting can be the first level of contact with a health system that is in close proximity to where people work and live.
When the Community Health Nurse works within a primary health care setting there are a number of core concepts that are inherent and valued within this environment, they include:
| a)
Promotion and understanding of health as a complete state of physical,
social and emotional well-being, not merely the absence of disease.
b) Contribution to identifying and meeting the main health needs of the community. c) Accessible, available and affordable services based on principles of social justice and equity. d) Comprehensive service delivery and program content that includes treatment, early identification and intervention and health promotion. e) The participation and consultation of people and communities about health issues and their own health care. f) Multidisciplinary approaches. g) Promoting health through working in collaboration with other sectors in order to address the social and environmental factors that inhibit health and well-being. (Above information taken from Community Health Nurse practice standards, ANF and CHASP Primary Health Care core concepts) |
Broadly the Community Health Nurses within Berwickwide and Cranbourne Community Health Service’s contribute to service delivery, case management, project and program management, health promotion, service development and management and have a role as clinical nurse specialists.
Community Health
Nurse Profiles –
Berwickwide Community Health Service.
- Click here for more information about Berwickwide Community Health Services
Andrea
Andrea works part time (16hrs) as a member of the Community Health Nurse team at Berwickwide Community Health Service.
As a Nurse – Counsellor (Family Health) Andrea’s main focus is to provide a general counselling service for the local community. Andrea’s areas of expertise are issues related to family violence including adult survivors of childhood sexual assault (women and men) parenting strategies and stress management.
Andrea co-facilitates the S.O.A.R program (Speak Out and Recover) – a recovery program for male survivors of childhood sexual assault.
Andrea also contributes to the development of a men’s health policy within Southern Health
Jo
Jo is a Community Health Nurse, Family Therapist, Women’s Health clinical specialist within Berwickwide Community Health. As the women’s health nurse practitioner Jo offers pap tests and breast checks. Jo contributes to the running of a Babes and Bubs support group for young mums, womens survivors of childhood sexual assault and she has a focus of working with young people and sexual health.
Jo also has a family focus within counselling and is currently training as a H.I.V counsellor.
Jan
Community Health Nurse with a specialist role in the Management of Health Promotion and Massage Therapy. In addition Jan is a Family Therapist / Counsellor and Coordinates the Needle Syringe and Exchange Program.
Jan contributes to a number of health promotion projects and initiatives, facilitates groups eg a group that supports people living with cancer and conveynes advisory or consultancy groups to enhance health promotion and complementary therapies.
Jan has a commitment to developing health promotion initiatives within the principles of research, partnership, community consultation, a packaged approach to health promotion and sustainability.
Jan also has an extensive background working in the disability field and is currently completing her Masters in Disability Services at Deakin University.
As a community health nurse with a health promotion focus tasks and program areas are diverse and challenging.
Shakti
Shakti is the coordinator of the Community Health Nursing Team and is also responsible for maintaining the Quality Management program at Berwickwide Community Health Service. She has a key role in servicewide planning and fostering positive relationships and partnerships with key local agencies.
Shakti has additional qualifications in Applied Systems Theory and Family Therapy. Shakti has a focus on women’s health and works mainly in the areas of family violence, grief and depression.
Kerrie
Kerrie works part time as a member of the Community Health Nurse team. A main component of Kerrie’s work involves contributing to and coordinating health promotion initiatives within the local community with a focus on needs analysis, partnerships, community consultation, sustainability and evaluation. Kerrie also contributes to the development and review of Berwickwide C.H.S policies and evaluation tools to ensure that they incorporate a health promotion perspective.
Kerrie specifically brings to the community health nurse team health promotion skills that can be resources by other staff to assist them in further developing health promotion strategies in their various roles. Group facilitation is also undertaken using a health promotion perspective.
Rod
Community Health Nurse / Family Therapist. Professional interests in mens and youth health.
Individual counselling and group work in areas of –
Adult survivors of childhood sexual assault, stopping abusive behaviour, grief and loss, assertiveness / conflict resolution, fatherhood & parenting, stress management, contraception, STDs, testicular cancer and relationship issues.
Rod also enjoys teaching first aid.
Maree
Maree has worked in her specialist role as Diabetes Education / Nurse with the Diabetes Program at the Berwickwide C.H.S for 10 years full time and has recently completed the Advanced Certificate of Family Therapy. Working as part of the multidisciplinary team Maree offers diabetes education and support for the person with diabetes, their family members and their friends either individually or as part of a group. Maree also has a commitment to community awareness programs including assessments for those at risk of developing diabetes in the future.
Community Health
Nurse profiles –
Cranbourne Community Health Service.
- Click here for more information about Cranbourne Community Health Services
Rebecca
Rebecca is a Home and Community Care Nurse whose role aims to provide flexible client focused, integrated and coordinated services to target clients with the aim of maintaining optimum health, wellbeing and independent functioning.
In addition Rebecca is a psychiatric nurse, community educator and health counsellor who has a special interest in hypnotherapy and ego-state therapy. She facilitates a respiratory support group and contributes to the carers and relaxation support group as well as providing education and secondary consultation to clients and their carers, other health care professionals and community agencies.
Sue
Sue is a Home and Community Care Nurse whose role is to assist in the prevention or premature or inappropriate admission to long term residential care by contributing to the physical / emotional and social wellbeing of frail older people with disabilities and to younger clients with physical, sensory or psychiatric disabilities and the carers of both.
Principles of practice include advocacy, case management, clinical assessment and facilitating community support groups.
Sue has a special interest in disability access issues and is an information resource person for the disability advisory committee. She is also involved in teaching relaxation group for people with a chronic illness as well as coordinating a carers group.
Dee
Dee is a Registered nurse with the Community Rehabilitation Service and contributes to the Intake system at Cranbourne Community Health Service.
Dee has completed post graduate studies in Gerontology, Aged Services Management and an introduction to Family Therapy. Dee is currently completing her Masters in Medical Law.
As part of Dees position in the Rehabilitation Service she contributes to the coordination of referrals, assessment of clients needs, the monitoring and health education of clients a resource person and the general coordination of client care for the program.
As part of the Intake position Dee contributes to the coordination of referrals to the Rehabilitation Program.
