In this feature write up, we focus on a breed of health professionals that are becoming a rarity these days. They are the Community Health Nurses whose work focuses on health promotion, disease prevention and maintaining health.
Assigned in ALAGA KA areas for an 18-month tour-of-duty, they provide basic health services, facilitate participatory community health assessments, create awareness, and educate communities on health issues, the root causes and the available community assets that can be mobilized to address those concerns. They impart know-hows (e.g., getting vital signs, use of herbal medicines and acupressure, navigating the health referral system) and organize communities into empowered household clusters. Province- and city-wide health systems, once established under the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, are expected to improve the accessibility, availability and continuity of health services.
How far are we from truly establishing these health systems? While waiting for the dream to become a reality, inequities in health continue to claim the health and lives of many Filipinos, especially those in resource-challenged localities. Meanwhile, the call to serve less-privileged populations is not lost to these nurses. Opting to work in marginalized communities, they leave, albeit temporarily, the comforts of home and family to provide basic health services and empower communities… one barangay at a time. Here are their stories.
- Finding inspiration in the community: The story of Geralyn
- Serving the community with youthful energy: The story of Dominique
- Angeline Dela Cruz’ Journey in Healing Communities One Step at a Time
- A mission to serve in communities: The story of Cliff
To get updates on the activities of HFI’s Community Health Nurses, follow our Facebook page.
__
Written by: Lizette Abibuag
Edited by: Nina Coronel
