Please respond to at least one classmate in this discussion. Do you have any suggestions/advice that might be helpful?
Disscusion one
Climate change continues to affect the whole world, and many are facing challenges such as food and housing insecurities, health effects, and other risks. The ones affected most of the time are the most vulnerable. It is a social problem that needs to be addressed for better outcomes. Most issues encountered are related to rising temperatures (dehydration, increase cardiac and respiratory illnesses), flooding (Lyme disease), extreme weather (smoke inhalation, stress due to losses), and air quality (aggravated lung diseases, allergy-related illnesses). According to the American Public Health Association (APHA, 2021), social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal rights and opportunities this includes the right to good health. These inequities are the result of policies and practices that create an unequal distribution of money, power, and resources among communities based on race, class, gender, place, and other factors. Nurses are in the right position to advocate for social justice. Sometimes it is the small things they do that have the louder impact. Advocacy, by definition, means public support for or recommendations for a particular cause or policy. Advocacy may mean taking steps to create change. The practice of advocacy involves an individual or group organizing themselves to take steps to tackle an issue (Eaton, 2021).
Nurses work extra shifts, so their patients can get appropriate care. They go to underserved areas to provide vaccines. While the odds might not be in their favor, they are still fighting to provide great outcomes. On that note, nurses can write to their legislators, participate in walks for specific issues, educate others about those problems, and talk to the stakeholders.
As for resources, I have my voice that can be used as a tool to help my patients. If certain things are needed, I make sure to contact the right person, to get the right solution if possible or get directed on the right path. I can advocate for my patient to get a shelter if they are homeless, to get a bag of food before discharge if money is scarce, and to get a medical taxi if they have no transportation. I can even give them a bus pass to get home.
I could take part in many advocacy groups available nationwide. It will help me have a better idea of our climate problems beyond my backyard.
References
American Public Health Association (APHA), (2021). Social Justice and Health. https://www.apha.org/what-is-public-health/generation-public-health/our-work/social-justice
Eaton, D (2021). Nursing advocacy beyond the bedside. https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expert-insights/nursing-advocacy-beyond-the-bedside
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