Oregon Public Health Association: Nursing Section Spring 2015

STAND TOGETHER

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Features

1 Capitol Visit Day 2 Chair’s Corner 3 Nurse Involvement in the American Red Cross 5 Pictures from the Nursing and the Public’s Health Conference 6 Featured Section Member 7 In the news

OPHA 2015 Capitol Visit Day by Anna Stiefvater

The Oregon Public Health Association (OPHA) successfully held its annual Capitol Visit Day in Salem, Oregon on April 9th, 2015. Pre-Capitol Visit Day, there were 112 individuals registered with 61 of those being students. Approximately 75 of the registrants were nurses, nursing faculty or nursing students so nursing was well-represented.

The Day started with presentations by Senate President Peter Courtney, Senator Elizabeth Steiner-Hayward and Senator Chuck Riley. Attendees received tips for effective advocacy and learned about bills making their way through the legislative process. OPHA’s public health partners helped to make the day a success. Public health organizations tabled in the Capitol Galleria, provided talking points for legislation and gave presentations to the OPHA Board of Directors.

Attendees met with their Representatives to talk about public health and advocate for bills endorsed by OPHA. The majority of attendees indicated that this Capitol Visit Day was their first time meeting with legislators and found it to be a positive experience. Hopefully this means we have a whole new group of public health advocates in the making!

Thank you to the OPHA Nursing Section for encouraging participation and providing funds for breakfast.

Click here to view photos of the 2015 OPHA Capitol Visit Day.

Click here to view current OPHA Policy Endorsements.

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Chair’s Corner Section — I write you this quarter with excitement and energy bubbling through my veins. If you’re someone that knows me personally, you would probably say that this is my status quo; but, no, it is possible for me to be more excited and energetic. Not only am I intoxicated by the OPHA Nursing and the Public’s Health Conference, but I also have some personal announcements too!!!

My favorite part of the OPHA Nursing and the Public’s Health Conference was the chance to

connect with other PHNs in Oregon. The conversations that we had about our changing public health system and getting involved were valuable. And, I believe we must keep the conversation going regarding how the changes in public health are affecting us. Now more than ever, we—PHNs—need to bond together and be vocal as we advocate for our patients, community, systems, and ourselves. The OPHA Nursing Section is trying to plot our next move for our role in this. If you have any advice, we welcome it.

On another note, I want to tell you a little about what has been happening in my life. In August, I am moving to Madison, WI to start my PhD in Nursing with a focus on PHN. I can’t express in writing how excited I am for this. And, way further down the line how excited I am to teach PHN. For me, my community health course was that ahh-ha moment when I realized that I am a PHN. With this announcement said, I want you to know, that this will not affect my position as your chair for the OPHA Nursing Section.

Another thing that I wanted to share which piggy-backs a theme that you heard at the conference about getting involved. I want you to know that it IS NOT scary to take a leadership role. When I decided to take the chair-elect position two years ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. In fact, shortly before taking position, I tried starting my first committee—the Green Committee—at the hospital which I was working at, and FAILED!!! One thing I realized is that even when you fail, you need to not take it personally and realize that the issue is bigger then you. So, keep fighting the fight. This upcoming October, we will have two open spots on the OPHA Nursing Section Executive Board—Chair Elect and Board Representative. The chair elect will rotate through the positions as chair elect, chair, and past chair over three years; and, the board representative will serve as the liaison between the OPHA board and nursing section. I encourage you to consider running for one of these spots. This is a great section to be apart of!!!! :)

Opportunities!!!

Medical Team International:

Emergency Public Health Intern Volunteer

The Emergency Public Health Intern Volunteer will

assist MTI’s Acting Country Director in

ensuring that programming is of

excellent technical quality, provides support to MTI’s

in-country partner, and contributes significantly to MTIs strategic objectives. Time Commitment: 1-3 months, with opportunity

to extend More info: https://

www.medicalteams.org

Legacy Health: Employee Health

Nurse An exciting opportunity for an experienced nurse to join our dynamic, quality-

focused team.  The Employee Health

department is responsible for the health and

wellness of Legacy employees, volunteers,

contractors and students through preventative

services, health education, access to wellness resources,

injuries or exposures. More info: see Job #15-0984 at http://

www.legacyhealth.org/for-health-professionals/

careers/find-jobs-and-apply.aspx

Oregon Public Health Association: Nursing Section Spring 2015

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Nurse Involvement in the American Red Cross by Carol Reitz MN, RN

The Red Cross mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881. Although not a nurse, she was strongly influenced by her experiences providing aid to soldiers during the Civil War. Jane Delano RN—a national leader in the nursing community—established the Red Cross Nursing Service in 1909. Red Cross nurses were the first public health nurses and served with the military in World Wars I and II.

Today, the American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies more than 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.

Nurses today serve in a wide variety of roles within the Red Cross, across all lines of business. They serve in management and supervisory positions, as employees and volunteers, as providers of direct care services to those affected by disasters, as teachers, and as representatives of the Red Cross with local and national community partners.

Our disaster health services response is provided within a nurse-led model of care, using licensure/certification and scope of practice in a community setting. Red Cross nurses provide services to individuals and families who lived at home prior to large disaster events, as well as help chapters respond to client needs for local disasters such as multi-family fires. Red Cross nurses also work in collaboration with external health partners such as the Medical Reserve Corps and local health departments. Other members of the Red Cross Disaster Health Services team include physicians, nurse practitioners, EMTs (all levels), and certified nursing assistants. (American Red Cross, 2012).

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Oregon Coast, Jan 2015

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Continued from Nurse Involvement in the American Red Cross

There are specific programs and projects in the Cascades Region (Oregon and SW Washington) that could use the knowledge and skills of nurses.

1. The Disaster Services business line promotes the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign which installs smoke alarms in local neighborhoods where there have been increased fatalities due to home fires; teaches the Pillowcase Project which gives preparedness information to 3rd through 5th grades; and, partners with local businesses to provide disaster preparedness education. Nurses also respond to local, regional, or national disasters as a members of Disaster Action Teams.

2. The Health and Safety business line can use CPR, First Aid, and Babysitting instructors.

3. The Services to the Armed Forces business line links deployed military personnel and their families during times of crises.

4. Biomedical Services educates the community to increase blood donations using schools of nursing and volunteer nurses.

5. The International Services business line works locally to make a difference globally by providing linking services with displaced refugees and their families.

Questions about these programs or other projects can be directed to the Oregon State Nurse Leader, Carol Reitz (carol.reitz2@redcross.org); and, application for volunteer service can be found at www.redcross.org. A background check and appropriate classes will be provided depending on specific opportunities.

Reference: American Red Cross, (11/2012). Nursing the way you want it to be. www.redcross.org.

Carol is relatively new to nursing as she graduated in 2008 after a career in the world of medical technology and diagnostics. She started her career in hospital rehab nursing followed by home health and hospice nursing. After moving to Portland in 2011, Carol returned to school for a degree in nursing education with a focus on Community Health.

Red Cross volunteering has allowed Carol to explore Disaster Health in a regional wildfire shelter and Staff Health and Wellness in a national disaster at Superstorm Sandy. Carol favorite part about volunteering includes working with local disaster teams, teaching and participating in Red Cross classes, and interacting with local and national leaders.

In Carol’s current role as a clinical instructor at Concordia University’s Department of Nursing she has been able to introduce the students to the Red Cross for their Population Health clinical experience. Also, she and her colleagues have facilitated the Disaster Health and Sheltering course in several schools of nursing giving the students an idea of how shelter nursing and public health are intertwined. When not at work or volunteering, you can find Carol on adventures such as dragon-boating!

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Pictures from the OPHA Nursing and the Public’s Health Conference Thank you Pamela Ferguson for taking photos!!!

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Featured Section Member: Teri Thalhofer

Read on to learn more about this year’s Nursing Leadership Award Winner.

How long have you been working in public health? I have been working as a RN since May of 1987. I started working in public health in 2000. I never planned to work in public health, but am very glad it found me!

Tell us about what you do at North Central Public Health Department (NCPHD). At NCPHD I am currently the Director. In our new state as a stand alone Intergovernmental Agency, I am responsible for all of the day to day administration of the agency, as well as working with leadership team and the Board of Health on program planning and implementation. We serve a large geographic area. Everyday, at least one of our staff drives an hour or more to deliver a service.

What is your favorite part of the job?  The thing I like best about my job is that I can see the long term results of my efforts. I live in the community I serve and I often see kids out in the community that I home visited as babies. I also like watching our population based efforts make a difference. We are currently using the 5210 message (5 vegetables or fruits a day, no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time, 1 hour of physical activity and 0 sugar sweetened beverages) in our health promotion efforts and I love to hear kids and families refer to it!

What do you do for fun? For fun I like to spend time with my family, read fiction, cook and plan to cook, and visit the Oregon Coast.

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Want to submit an article for the newsletter? We’re happy to review it and add it to our next newsletter. Deadline for submission is July 25th. If you have any questions on the newsletter or want to g u i d e l i n e s f o r w r i t i n g a n a r t i c l e , e m a i l : opha.nursing@gmail.com.

Nursing Section

In the News The Home Visiting Program is Helping 115,500 At-Risk

Parents & Children HRSA-supported Home Visiting Programs in every State, DC and five territories are meeting pregnant women and families where they live and helping them hone parenting skills, tap resources and giving their children, from birth to kindergarten entry, what they need to grow up physically, socially and emotionally healthy and ready to learn.

To view Oregon Home Visiting Program State Fact Sheet:http://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/homevisiting/states/or.pdf To view HRSA brief on Home Visiting Program: http://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/homevisiting/programbrief.pdf

Immune system effects of measles may last more than 2 years, study finds

A study published in the journal Science found that a measles infection has lasting effects on the immune system, with damage persisting an average of 28 months. During that time, patients are more susceptible to other diseases such as pneumonia because measles causes "immune amnesia," wherein the infection destroys cells in the immune system that remember how to fight off previous illnesses. The study provides more support for vaccinating children against measles, the authors say.

To read Reuter’s article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/07/us-health-measles-idUSKBN0NS23N20150507

How Healthy is your Community? The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps measure the health of nearly every county in the nation—high school graduation rates, obesity rates, smoking rates, unemployment, air quality, and access to healthy foods. The Rankings provide a revealing snapshot of how health is influenced by where we live, learn, work and play—a starting point for change in communities.

To find out more, visit: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org.