Public Health Nursing: Preparing for Emerging Maternal-Child Health Threats
None other than Florence Nightingale, considered the mother of modern nursing, touted the importance of continuing education: “Let us never consider ourselves finished, nurses ... we must be learning all of our lives.” Putting this idea into practice, the CDC Foundation’s latest program was created to increase nurses’ recognition and understanding of health threats facing pregnant women and infants.
Launched with technical support from the CDC, the project is designed to empower nurses to respond quickly to new and re-emerging infectious disease threats by building their foundational knowledge, boosting awareness and providing related training.
Several educational partners have already been chosen, including national nurses’ associations that represent nurses at the bedside and advanced practice registered nurses. The project funding will allow these organizations to develop and disseminate a variety of helpful resources, like webinars, podcasts, web campaigns and other assets designed specifically to help nurses and midwives counsel and protect pregnant women and their families.
These efforts also align with the White House Women’s Health Research Initiative to expand training in women’s health research and public health surveillance to nurses and advanced practice nurses. The goal of that program is to improve the health of women and children exposed to or affected by infectious diseases, mental health and substance use disorders.
This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $452,209 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- United States of America
Selected partners:
- The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), which strives to support midwives, advance the practice of midwifery and achieve optimal, equitable health outcomes for the people and communities that midwives serve
- The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), whose mission is to empower and support nurses caring for women, newborns, and their families through research, education, and advocacy
- The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), an organization focused on optimizing the health and well-being of all infants, children, adolescents and young adults and empowering its community of pediatric experts, including all APRNs caring for children
- The National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH), the professional community for Women's Health Nurse Practitioners and other advanced practice registered nurses who provide women's and gender-related healthcare