Nurses are leaders in communicating public health information in communities. Natural disasters due to climate change have increased fivefold in the past 50 years. Storms
Nurses are leaders in communicating public health information in communities. Natural disasters due to climate change have increased fivefold in the past 50 years. Storms, fires, floods, tornados, earthquakes, and hurricanes severely impact the health of populations. In this Assignment, you will compose an op-ed for your local newspaper about the impact of climate change in your community. You will discuss how nurses such as yourself can protect and improve the lives of populations—especially vulnerable populations—from the impacts of climate change.
Op-ed commentaries are written by external contributors (“experts”) who present a well-defined point of view on new, current, or controversial topics. In this instance, you are the nurse expert and are tasked with highlighting the impact of climate change in your local community newspaper. In your 2-page article, using at least one current scholarly reference, include the following: Introduce yourself and your excellent nursing education and experience. Jennifer ER NURSE Describe the impact of climate change on the environment, i.e., air pollution, temperature, and precipitation extremes, etc. How are ecosystems interdependent? Discuss the impact of climate change on populations, i.e., increased communicable and infectious diseases and water/vector-borne pathogens. Provide an example of how nurses implement infection control measures, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). How is the impact of climate-related disasters relevant to your local community and its vulnerable populations, such as elderly, pregnant, and pediatric populations, for example? Is your community’s system-level disaster response plan effective? Why or why not? (You can find information about your community’s disaster plans on city and government websites for your specific community.) Conclude by expressing the value of nurses in addressing climate change and your personal commitment to your local community (called a “kicker” in op-eds).
