Public Health Nursing

The Indian Health Service Public Health Nursing (PHN) Program is a community health nursing program that focuses on the goals of promoting health and quality of life, and preventing disease and disability. The PHN Program provides quality, culturally sensitive health promotion and disease prevention nursing care services through primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention services to individuals, families, and community groups. Program funds provide critical support for direct health care services in the community, which improve Americans’ access to health care. The PHN Program supports population-focused services to promote healthier communities through community based nursing services, community development, and health promotion and/or disease prevention activities. The PHN Program promotes the establishment of program plans based on community assessments and evaluations to prevent disease, promote health, and implement community based programs. There is an emphasis on screening, home visits, immunizations, maternal-child health care, elder care, chronic disease, school services, health promotion and disease prevention, case management, population-based services, and community disease surveillance. The PHN Program is available to support transitions of care from the clinical setting into the community with an emphasis on the clinical, preventive, and public health needs of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.