Professional nurses have many opportunities to provide assistance and care to community members who have limited access to the healthcare reform or have no access to services. Firstly, it is necessary to contact all the local non-profit organizations providing support to such members of a community and apply for participation in programs oriented toward assisting disadvantaged categories of the local population. Organizations and programs, the purpose of which is to deliver free or inexpensive medical services, are the target for professional nurses who want to contribute to their community’s development (Huston, 2019). When cooperating with such organizations, it is possible to receive updated information on the situation with health care services in the community and easily reach out to individuals who are in need of assistance.
One more option is associated with the individual efforts of a nurse to support some members of their community. However, in contrast to collaboration within volunteering medical and social organizations, individual efforts can be rather ineffective because of limited resources available to a nurse. Still, it is possible to work as a volunteer and contribute to collecting information regarding the health status of community members in order to attract more people who can receive free care and medical services (Huston, 2019). It is important for a nurse to constantly monitor the situation in the community to choose programs and organizations to join. Examples of such organizations include Volunteers in Medicine America, Red Cross, Project HOPE, and others. Local organizations and programs can be less known, but their contribution to community health is also important. A professional nurse should spend much time and effort to address the needs of patients coming from different social groups.
Reference
Huston, C. J. (2019). Professional issues in nursing: Challenges and opportunities (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.