One novel community-based activity to promote health is the faith community nursing, and parish nurses strive to support some Healthy People 2020 initiatives. For African Americans in Miami, chronic conditions are significantly higher relative to whites. Communities of faith can help African Americans to make better food choices, improve lifestyle, and be more physically active. Churches can start by creating healthier church environments by developing favorable policy programs for change.
Communities of faith therefore strive to address some interventions, such as the promotion of daily physical activity, good nutrition, and emotional health and well-being in Healthy People 2020. In fact, current studies show that attempts to enhance health in faith-based communities reach more individuals and have significant outcomes to curtail health disparities due to influences of churches on member behaviors and practices (Pappas-Rogich & King, 2014). Faith-based communities now target physical activities and better lifestyles through food choices to reduce diabetes, obesity, and overweight among African Americans. Parish nurses now educate church leaders and followers on specific policies that can advance healthy food choices at church events and encourage healthy diets at all times. Further, they carry out regular health screening for some conditions involving blood pressure, blood sugar, and body mass index among others.
Additionally, communities of faith can promote more intervention programs, research, and evidence-based practices to support Healthy People 2020 initiatives (Callaghan, 2015). Parish nurses can also provide various strategies to measure and record intervention results. Faith community nurses will also collaborate to support intervention programs for the promotion of health across life span as envisioned in Healthy People 2020.
Issues may emanate from clients, communities of faith, and other professional relations. From legal issue perspective, parish nurses are seen as advocates of rights. Therefore, they must identify and report neglect, abuse, and illegal acts and subsequently report to relevant authorities, refer clients to the best resources, and determine the best solutions in cases of conflict of interest. Thus, the nurse is personally and professionally expected to abide by laws and regulations in their jurisdictions.
For ethical issues, nurses must observe Code for Nurses, statement of faith and uphold individual and group rights and polity of the faith served. They should identify areas of ethical concerns, plan and note the best ethical options, support clients to choose the best options to help them to cope with their conditions, allow clients to advance in health and faith, and apply virtue ethics in decision-making processes.
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