The roles of nurses in caring for communities and populations include: 1. Acting as supervisors/managers who formulate care plans, implement policies, and organize resources for local healthcare. 2. Providing direct nursing care to sick individuals and ensuring continuity of care. 3. Organizing the community and participating in community development activities. 4. Coordinating healthcare services with individuals, families, and groups.

1. iv. Roles of the Nurse in
Caring for Communities
and Population Group
a-b. Supervisor and Manager:
- formulates care plan.
- interprets and implements program policies,
memoranda and circulars.
- organizes workforce, resources, equipments
and supplies in delivery of health care at local levels.
-conducts regular supervisory visits and
meetings and gives feedback on
accomplishments/performances.

2. c. Health Care Provider:
- provides direct nursing care to the
sick, disable.
-provides continuity of patient care.
d. Community Organizer:
- responsible for motivating and
enhancing the community participation
- initiate and participates in community
development activities

3. e. Health Care Services Coordinator:
- coordinates with individuals, families
and groups.

4. Education Role
-it is used for promoting public health for
two reasons:
1. Community clients usually are not
acutely ill and can absorb and act on
health information
2. Educator role in community health
nursing is significant because a
wider audience can be reached.

5. Cont’d
- With emphasis on populations,
educational efforts of community
health nursing are appropriately
targeted to reach many people.
level of consciousness
level of wellness

6. Health education can
affect the health status
of people of all ages.
(Bastable,2006; Pender
et al., 2005)

7. Some topics that the community-
living need and want to know
about.
 Family Planning
 Weight Control
 Smoking Cessation
 Stress Reduction
 What foods and additives are safe to
eat.

8. Health Monitor
- The community health
nurse assures that the
goal must be met.

9. Role Model(Nurse as a Leader)
- Directs activities
- Influences
- Persuades
- Motivates
• Ensure a two-way communication
• Negotiate conflicts (e.g. money).

10. Change Agent (Leadership Role)
- Leadership role focuses on effecting
change thus, the nurse becomes an
agent of change
- Seeks to influence people to think and
behave differently about their health
and the factors contributing to it. (e.g.
A disease that is spreading in your
community.)

11. Change Agent (Leadership Role)
- Stimulates industry’s interest in health
promotion
- Initiate group therapy (e.g. Those who
plan to have a diet.)
- Directs a preventive program. (e.g.
reoccurence)

12. Encoder
-they record gathered data

13. Research Role
 They investigate needs of the society.
 Applying scientific knowledge to
technical practice.

14. v. Brief History of Community
Health/Public Health
Nursing Practice in the
Philippines.
 1901- Act No.157of the Philippine
Commission created a Board of
Health of the Philippines which also
acted as the Board of Health for the
City of Manila. Subsequently, Act of
No.309 created Provincial and
Municipal Boards of Health.

15.  1905 - Act No. 1407 (Reorganization
Act) abolished the Board of Health
and its function and activities were
taken over by the Bureau of Health
under the Department of Interior.
 1906 - District Health Offices headed
by District Health Offices had
jurisdiction over health districts.

16.  1912 - The Fajardo Act (Act No. 2156)
created Sanitary Divisions. The
President, Sanitary Division
(forerunners of the present Municipal
Health Officers) took charge of two or
three municipalities. Where there were
no physicians available, male nurses
were assigned to perform the duties of
the President, Sanitary Divisions.

17.  1915 - The Bureau of Health was
renamed Philippine Health Service with a
Director of Health as its head. The
Service was placed under the
Department of Public Instruction with the
Vice-Governor as the Department
Secretary.
- Reorganization Act No. 2462
created the Office of General Inspection.
The Office of District Nursing was
organized under this office.

18.  1916-1918 – Miss Perlita Clark took
charge of the Public Health Nursing
Work.
 1918 – the office of “Miss Clark” was
abolished due to “lack of funds”
 1927 – Office of the District Nursing
under the Office of the General
Inspection, Philippine Health Service
was abolished and supplanted by the
Section of Public Health Nursing.

19.  1933 – Reorganization Act No. 4007
transferred the Division of Maternal
and Child Health of the Office of
Public Welfare Commission to the
Bureau of Health.
 1940 – The Manila Health Department
was created by virtue of the new
charter of the City of Manila

20.  October 7, 1947 – Executive Order
No. 94 reorganized government
offices and created the Division of
Nursing under the Office of the
Secretary of Health. This was
implemented on December 16, 1947.
 1953 – Creation of the Office of Health
Education and Personnel Training
(forerunner of Health Manpower
development and Training Service)

21.  1953 – Philippine Congress approved
Republic Act No. 1082 or the Rural
Health Law. It created the first 81
Rural Health Units.
 1957 – Approval of Republic Act 1891
which amended Sections of R.A. 1082
“Strengthening Health and Dental
Services in the Rural Areas and
Providing Funds Thereto”

22.  1990-1992 – The Local Government
Code of 1991 (R.A. 7160) was passed
and implemented. This resulted in
devolution, which transferred the power
and authority from the National to the
Local Government units.
 1993-1998 – The National League of
Nurses, Inc., Board of members and
advisers made repeated representations
to create an Office of Nursing but were
not given priority.

23.  May 24, 1999 – Executive No. 102
was signed by President Joseph
Ejercito Estrada, redirecting the
functions and operations of the
Department of Health.