In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Focusing on practical, need-to-know information, Community/Public Health Nursing Practice helps you learn how to apply the nursing process at the community and family level. It features an engaging, easy-to-understand writing style, as well as assessment tools, detailed case studies, and clinical examples that demonstrate how key concepts apply to real-world practice. Additional resources on the companion Evolve website expand and enhance content within the text. Practical features including Case Studies, Ethics in Practice, and The Nursing Process in Practice illustrate real-world applications of key community/public health nursing concepts. A complete unit on the community as client helps you understand how the assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, and evaluation steps of the nursing process apply to the community, as opposed to an individual. A chapter devoted to community assessment provides a complete assessment tool and shows you how the tool applies to two different types of communities. UNIQUE! A chapter on screening and referral promotes population-focused practice, which is the crux of community/public health nursing. A separate unit on the family emphasizes the importance of viewing the family as a singular client. A complete discussion of the Minnesota Wheel helps you better understand this widely-accepted framework for community/public health nursing practice. Helpful sections such as Focus Questions, Chapter Outlines, Key Ideas, and Learning by Experience and Reflection help you pinpoint essential information. NEW! Healthy People 2020 objectives throughout the text help you identify common health risk factors in populations and families. NEW! Coverage of health care reform, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA), explores how current health care legislation impacts community/public health nursing. NEW! Discussions of community health "hot button" issues, such as human trafficking, genital circumcision, and bullying, introduce you to today's health care challenges. NEW! Information on weather-related disaster fatalities, bioterrorism, and national and state planning responses familiarize you with current, relevant issues which affect the health of populations worldwide and shape the role of the community/public health nurse.