Christine Ruppe Regis University Lorretto Heights Schools of Nursing Graduation: December 13 th, 2008 School Contact: Joanie Jonelle

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1 Luminary 1 Luminary Project Student Essay Cover Letter Christine Ruppe Regis University Lorretto Heights Schools of Nursing Graduation: December 13 th, 2008 School Contact: Joanie Jonelle Running head: LUMINARY

2 Luminary 2 The Luminary Project Paper Christine Ruppe, RUNS Submitted to Joanie Jonell, MS, RNC-MNN in partial fulfillment of NR 477 Professional Role Development II Regis University Loretto Heights School of Nursing November 26, 2008 The Luminary Project Paper

3 Luminary 3 Popular concepts of health and wellness are experiencing a major paradigm shift. Within the last several decades their basic definition has evolved away from a clinical medical definition of sickness or aliment. Recently, health has been considered a term more relative to the person, their culture, their community and their environment. Seeing the effects of toxins on our bodies, society is realizing that the health of the environment is directly related to our own health. The definition has also grown beyond the physical body to include emotional and spiritual wellbeing. As this perspective of human wellness continues to expand to include our relationship with our world, the health care providers will see the need to assess and diagnosis with a more holistic eye. Accordingly, we will adapt medical care to be integrated with and considerate of our environment. If the earth is viewed as a patient admitted to the emergency room, a caregiver would see that it is in great distress. Emergency evaluation always begins with the airway. Due to industry, automobiles and soil destabilization the air is full of noxious particles that damage fragile lung tissue, limiting its ability to oxygenate the blood and therefore vital organs. The second consideration is breathing. Without energy to stimulate breath, none of the systems can function. Most of the energy available today is wasted during extraction or production and again by transporting it to other areas of the world. Clean and reliable energy like wind and solar power are needed to support and operate local systems. The last assessment is circulation. Water is the main source of circulation and transport in the world, covering 70 percent of the planet. The oceans moderate environmental temperature, thus supporting life above water. However, onshore activities are poisoning aquatic life, disturbing the fine balance between land and sea. The availability of clean, fresh water is declining and there are many places in the world that no longer have access to drinkable water. Since the human body is also composed of 70 percent

4 Luminary 4 water, without replenishment the people in these areas will parish. The environment as a patient is critically ill, requiring immediate attention. Nurses play a pivotal role in providing the holistic, integrative care needed to meet these changing ideals. They have always been the center of care teams, providing physical and social assessments, communication between caregivers and with family, as well as emotional and spiritual support for the patient. It is also their duty to anticipate problems before they manifest and take measures to prevent or address them. Through their strong interpersonal relationships, they have always served as the warning system for distress or dysfunction. In this context, nurses have always been environmental advocates, acting within the micro-environment of the human body. As we realized our close relationship with the macro-environment, like air, soil and water, nurses are primed to continue as advocates and to provide holistic care, already having the skills and integrative perspective. As society begins to realize their health is directly related to their community and environment, they need help realizing their role in the ecosystem and the reciprocal relationship they have with it. People are looking for information on how to strike more of a balance in their existence as a member of a community, and they are looking for support to understand how to make changes in their lives. From the trusting relationships built from experience with the local people, nurses can naturally step into the role of an environmental advocate for their community. They are respected for their knowledge and compassion; known as having the common good in mind while making decisions. By being an integral part of the community already, nurses are ideal environmental messengers. They have the influence to help people to help themselves and to enact change on local, then hopefully national and global levels.

5 Luminary 5 As communities realize our integral involvement with our environment, clinical nurses will expand their scope of practice to include activities of community health nurses. The keystone task of public health nurses is community assessment. Seeing the locality as a piece of the greater systems is essential. Following waterways to identify where the water comes from and identify what might potentially impact its quality or quantity is a means to assess potential hazards. Garbage, air quality, commerce, and education are just a few other components of a community s function that need to be analyzed. Once identified, nurses must communicate these potential or actual risks to the community members and help educate them on how to create solutions while protecting their family s health. A truly holistic nurse would also know where the water flows away from the community, and know the threats their community makes to it. By sharing this cyclical view of community resources, nurses can help develop stewardship of natural resources. True environmental stewards are equally concerned with the health of their neighbors as they are of their own family. The traditional nursing process provides nurses a perfect model to advocate for environmental health with a community. As discussed previously assessment is critical in identifying problems and determining what systems are not normal or functional. With the help of interested or concerned community members and the nurse as a group leader, problems are diagnosed and prioritized as to what will have the greatest benefit to the common good. Together timely and realistic goals and outcomes are established to improve levels of environmental health. Then the group develops a clear plan to achieve their goals by pooling resources and sharing duties. In the plan will be interventions to address the priority problem like increasing public awareness of the issue, engaging influential people in the solution, involving and bridging diverse populations and age groups, and networking with other communities with similar

6 Luminary 6 situations. Appling the classic nursing process to environmental concerns can establish a pathway for the community to use to address any dilemma they encounter. An essential lesson that nurses can share is how to address their problems in order to help themselves in years to come. Clinically nurses have always been teachers, giving lessons on health promotion activities for the patient to follow once away from their care. In the community, environmental advocacy can best be taught by encouraging involvement in public process and communication with local government. Many decisions that affect a community s health are made on a daily basis by local decision makers. This information does not appear on front pages of the news, but directly impacts people s lives more than the headlines. Meeting local officials, attending public hearings, and getting involved in local committees and organizations helps give people sovereignty over their lives. Offering others the tools to create their own solutions will support and inspire the local people for decades to come. If the earth is in crisis then so are her residents. Health care teams, with nurses as its core, can lead communities to improve their family s wellness, while improving the condition of their environment. The only solution to this systemic problem will come from societal cooperation to make positive local and global ecological changes and through dedication to environmental stewardship. This resolution must be created swiftly and have great impact in order to maintain our communities and those of generations to come.