Reply2

Discussion Board Reply Great discussion! I agree with you that substance abuse, violence, and pregnancy are the three key health issues facing high school students. For high school students, community health nurses should design effective programs and interventions that reduce, if not eliminate, substance abuse, violence, and pregnancy. I like your idea of a teaching program that focuses on drug use prevention. On a state level, the teaching program should be incorporated into the high school curriculums. Although it is a far-fetched approach, some programs have considerably been effective. For example, Adolescents Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids (ATLAS) has received numerous awards for delaying the age of drinking and reducing alcohol abuse, as well as reducing the number of substance-related consequences and experiences (Goldberg et al., 2000). In essence, ATLAS provides adolescents with healthy sports nutrition, which provide a strength-building alternative to illegal drugs, alcohol, and other harmful substances.
I would like to add that community health nurses integrate community knowledge and involvement concerning a population on three levels: clinical understanding of the illness experience of individual patients, personal understanding, and the families in the population (Hebda & Czar, 2013). The community health nurses communicate the illness and health experiences of individuals and families in vulnerable populations, and educate members of the target community to express their health issues. Most importantly, the nurses pass down their knowledge from health studies to individuals and vulnerable groups through advocacy, programs, and other interventions.
Sex education, birth control, conflict resolution, and anger management programs are very important. In most schools, they fall under the peer counselor’s office. Perhaps high schools and education bodies should consult community health nurses while developing their guidance and counselling models. According to Border & Drury (1992), school counselling interventions considerably influence student’s personal and educational development. The idea of consulting CDC. American Association and the Florida government is brilliant. This will ensure that the programs and interventions are synced with statewide efforts to prevent substance abuse, violence, and pregnancy in high school students.
References
Borders, L. D. & Drury, S. M. (1992). Comprehensive school counseling programs: A review for policymakers and practitioners. Journal of Counseling & Development, 70, 487-498.
Goldberg, L. et al. (2000). The adolescents training and learning to avoid steroids program: Preventing use and promoting health behaviors. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Vol. 154(4), 332-8.
Hebda, T. & Czar, P. (2013). Handbook of informatics for nurses & healthcare professionals (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.