Spring 2016 - Oregon Public Health Association

Oregon Public Health Association: Nursing Section
Spring 2016
STAND TOGETHER
SAVE THE DATE
Features
Page 1: OPHA Nursing
Celebration Luncheon
Page 2: Chair’s Corner
Page 3: PH Nursing
L Leadership Award
Page 4: PHN
running for office
Page: 5-6 Student
Article
Visi
Page 7: Capitol
Visit Day
Page 8: PH
in the News
OPHA Nursing Celebration Luncheon
We celebrate the birthday of Florence Nightingale on the first Monday
of Nurse Appreciation Week each year. This year we will be having a
Celebration luncheon on Monday May 9th, 2016 at the Portland State
Office Building Room 1A. Lunch will be provided by the OPHA
Nursing section.
Sherry Archer is an OHSU School of Nursing Instructor and will be
sharing information about the unique and interesting venture that she
and her students collaborated in with the Gresham Fire Department.
Some of the OPHA members may have been able to hear her initial
presentation at the OPHA conference last fall. Hopefully you will
enjoy hearing the updates since that time.
OPHA nursing section members are encouraged to complete a
Leadership Award nomination and return to [email protected]
by April 22nd, 2016. The award nomination form can be found at the
OPHA Nursing section link www.oregonpublichealth.org/nursingsection-home. Previously awarded leaders will be reviewing the
nominations.
OPHA: Working together to make health happen
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Oregon Public Health Association: Nursing Section
Chair’s Corner
Three Things
Thing One: The Royal College of Paedriatics and Child Health has
published an excellent monograph on the lifelong impact of air
pollution. The publication walks one through the science, the
outcomes, and recommended actions. One has to do a bit of
translation from European context to ours, but it is a good read.
Spring 2016
Upcoming Events
2016 National Public
Health Week
Healthiest Nation 2030
https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/every-breath-we-takelifelong-impact-air-pollution
Date: Mon Apr 4, 2016 - Sun Apr 10,
2016
Description: During the first full
week of April each year, APHA
brings together communities across
the United States to observe
National Public Health Week as a
time to recognize the contributions of
public health and highlight issues
that are important to improving our
nation.
Visit www.nphw.org and download
the NPHW 2016 brochure and sign
up to receive updates.
Thing Two: Elsewhere in the newsletter you will find announcement
of the spring luncheon and the call for award nominations. We all
know OPHA section nurses who do great work, and have done so
for quite some time. This is our chance to recognize and honor
them. A few years ago I committed myself to nominate someone
each year for this award and the OPHA lifetime award. It is an
obligation we all have to call out our comrades’ achievements.
Thing Three: We will soon see the call for abstracts for the annual
OPHA meeting and conference [I think October 10 and 11]. Please
consider presenting at the conference. There is much opportunity
for individual presentations, panels, and posters. Remember – we
have a professional responsibility to share with our colleagues what
works and what does not work.
Tom Engle
OPHA Section Leadership
Networking Event
DATE: March 18, 2016
Join us after the OPHA Board of
Directors meeting at the Lucky
Labrador at 915 SE Hawthorne in
Portland for a casual networking
event. We'll be arriving
between 3:30 and 4:00 pm. This will
be a chance to talk with other
section chairpersons and section
board representatives about your
ideas, get tips on what has worked
and what hasn't, and perhaps come
up with ways to partner on future
events.
This will be a no-host event.
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Oregon Public Health Association: Nursing Section
Spring 2016
Health Association Nursing Section
Requests nominations for the
Public Health Nursing Leadership Award
*****Nomination Deadline April 22, 2016*****
The Nursing Section wishes to honor an outstanding public health nursing
leader who is currently contributing to the health of the public in Oregon. The
honoree awarded will have a demonstrated record of on-going achievement
and commitment toward improving the health of the public through nursing
leadership. The award is intended to recognize the work of the individual and
support continued excellence.
Criteria:
The nominee must be a registered nurse and member of the Oregon Public
Health Association.
Nomination Process:
Any nurse that is an OPHA member may submit a nomination. Submit a onepage summary of the nominee’s contributions and attributes and his/her
potential for continued leadership in public health nursing. Provide complete
information including name and contact information of the nominee and
nominator.
Send your nomination to:
[email protected]
A Nursing Section committee will select the recipient for the OPHA Nursing
Leadership Award who will be honored on May 9, 2016 at the Nursing
Leadership Celebration Luncheon.
OPHA: Working together to make health happen
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Oregon Public Health Association: Nursing Section
Spring 2016
PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE RUNNING for LEGISLATURE
OPHA members rank health policy advocacy as one of their top interests for
their involvement in OPHA. Capitol Visit Day, an active Health Policy Committee
and Action Alerts have provided opportunities for members to make their voice
known on important public health policy issues. Running for political office, as a
county commissioner, school board member or city councilor are all
opportunities to take a more active role in the political process. One of our
colleagues, Sheri Malstrom, has made that decision. Sheri is a public health
nurse who is running for State Representative for House District 27 in
Southwest Portland and Beaverton. Sheri has been a public health nurse with
Multnomah County for over 30 years. Her decision to run for political office has
been shaped by her experiences as a public health nurse.
http://www.sherimalstrom.com/
BILL TRACKER UPDATE:
HB 4062
INTRO
SUMMARY:
Relating to taxation of nicotine
delivery systems; prescribing
an effective date; providing for
revenue raising that requires
approval by a three-fifths
majority. Establishes tax on
retail sales of inhalant delivery
systems and inhalant form
nicotine.
LAST THREE ACTIONS:
3/2/2016 – Session ended
without action. 
2/3/2016 - Public Hearing held.
2/1/2016 - Referred to Health
Care with subsequent referral
to Revenue.
OPHA POSITION:
Support
In Sheri’s words, “I’ve spent many years making home and hospital visits to
young mothers who were just getting by. I’ve counseled clients on how to care
for themselves and their children and diffused very difficult situations in order to
ensure that more Oregonians grow up in healthy communities. Having worked
as a nurse advocate in Salem, it seems that the intersections between poverty,
the environment, education, and overall health -- physical, emotional and mental
– are far too often ignored and overlooked by decision makers. I am passionate
about advocating for public health and hard-working families in the legislature
because I know what it feels like to struggle to make ends meet. My husband
and I started our family in the Beaverton area and when I was widowed with
three young children, I learned how difficult it can be to raise a family without
enough support. If it wasn’t for my good job and access to critical services, I
don’t know how I would have survived. This is why it is so important to maintain
and strengthen public health programs like home visiting, in addition to social
services, increased access to health care, and adequate education funding
across the state. As those in the public health field, we see the connections
between education, living wages and healthy air to healthier patients and better
public health outcomes. Many legislators don't. I want to put those public health
connections front and center in our state capitol, so that common-sense policies
are translated into effective laws.”
Not many of us public health nurses will make the decision to run for political
office, but experiences like Sheri’s give us unique perspectives on the policies
needed to improve the health of all Oregonians. Sheri & others, like OPHA PHN
member Mary Lou Hennrich can provide inspiration and support for those who
may be considering a more active role in the political process. You could be the
next candidate to say “I want to be the voice of public health in the Oregon
House” and we need many more voices of public health.
Submitted by Jan Wallinder
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Oregon Public Health Association: Nursing Section
Spring 2016
Hidden Factors Impact Homeless Health in East County
By Rebecca Dondlinger and Angella King Cole
OHSU School of Nursing
I thought I knew about homelessness. I’d seen the cardboard signs of men standing in the rain beside on-ramps. Like most
people, I felt the pinching discomfort that ugly disparities evoke-- but I thought I knew the issues.
Rockwood is different. In our Rockwood clinical placement, my partner Angella and I saw a picture of homelessness far
more complex than cardboard signs, and we built a clinical project aimed towards understand this picture. Our goal: to
identify the healthcare needs and impacts of homeless on individuals and families living in Rockwood. We partnered with
Wallace Medical Concern, a clinic located in the Rockwood neighborhood. With the help of Wallace’s head of Public
Relations and Communications Dina DiNucci, Angella and I spent 10 weeks meeting and speaking with outreach workers
and individuals affected by homelessness.
Our interviews began with the homeless themselves, at Human Solutions-- a local shelter hosting a community health fair. I
spoke with a mother waiting in line for a haircut, her daughter wrestling with an electronic game from the other end of a
backpack-leash. The young mother related a familiar story: husband unemployed, eviction from their apartment. After
months of couch surfing and living in their car, “he left us,” she said. She appeared dazed, but included her relief that his
abusive treatment was also absent. She looked very tired. For those unfamiliar with East County, Rockwood is a
neighborhood in Gresham, Oregon-- about 10 miles from Portland city center. Rates of homelessness have risen in the
past two years, and Oregon DHS has now identified the area as a high poverty hotspot. Lack of affordable housing, low
vacancy rates, and low wages are primary factors of homelessness in Rockwood.
Homelessness brings unique healthcare challenges: chronic conditions like diabetes lead to higher levels of acuity and
even mortality. Substance abuse, often used to self-medicate, is a major problem. Exposure to the elements can lead to
frostbite and chronic respiratory infections. Depression and PTSD are endemic due to emotional, physical, and sexual
trauma: almost 100% of women living on the streets have experienced sexual or violent trauma, and homeless youth are
overwhelmingly survivors of trauma.
Homelessness in itself is deeply traumatic; it can alter self-perception, dignity, and causes chronic stress. A critical lesson
we learned was the necessity that outreach workers and clinic staff be trained in trauma informed care; trauma can be a
major barrier to care if not properly addressed. One complexity of homelessness that creates barriers to care is that the
rate of homelessness is unknown. According to Multnomah County’s Point in Time Count, 42% of the homeless in
Rockwood are families. Families counted were in shelters, but families also frequently “double up,” making counts
unreliable (doubling up means living temporarily with friends or family, moving frequently to avoid exhausting this
generosity).
The high rate of homeless families made me reconsider my perception of homelessness as a man with a sign; in
Rockwood, homelessness may look like the woman and her daughter that I spoke with at the health fair. Children in
homeless families often miss school-- at a time when school is possibly the only stable thing in their lives. They often have
chronic stress and other mental health problems. To address this, Molly Frye, with the Reynolds School District in
Rockwood, said the district sends buses or even taxies to new living places so its students are ensured continuity in their
education and lives. Their school also provides meals, a washer and drier, and a closet full of clothes kids can choose from.
Another disconcerting reality we learned about was the relatively low Medicaid enrollment among qualifying individuals in
Rockwood. Lack of access to computers and the confusion of navigating the enrollment process while living with no reliable
shelter make enrollment intimidating, and there are currently few resources to help.
OPHA: Working together to make health happen
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Oregon Public Health Association: Nursing Section
Spring 2016
Even if they have coverage, lack of housing seriously impacts preventative care and follow-up appointments. According to
Dustin, an outreach worker at JOIN, few homeless patients have reliable contact information. Cell phone coverage is
inconsistent and phone theft high. To help homeless people get the medical care they need, many outreach workers
believe that mobile units-- capable of bringing care directly to where homeless are staying-- are the best approach.
As we discussed the barriers to health care, Angella and I asked Dustin what he tells people who claim that homelessness
is a choice. His answer highlighted the devastating emotional impact of chronic homelessness: after multiple failed attempts
at finding housing, a job, or even temporary shelter, many people give up. When asked if they want resources, they refuse-unwilling to extend the same energy and hope one more time.
I hope this demoralization has not reached the young mother I met at the health fair. Based on what we learned, care
tailored to her needs is trauma-informed, and she may require assistance applying to Medicaid. She needs support
accessing preventative care and follow-up appointments while finding permanent housing.
Housing is the unshakable reality beneath each story, at the end of each anecdote or observation we heard-- from all the
people that we talked to. It may be the most important fact Angella and I learned from our project: no matter what changes
health providers make, the best healthcare for people facing homelessness is a place to live.
Angella King Cole and Rebecca Dondlinger are nursing students at OHSU. They would like to extend whole-hearted thanks
to Dina DiNucci and the staff at Wallace Medical Concern, JOIN, Human Solutions, Steve Kimes at Anawim, Molly Frye
with the Reynolds School District, and our clinical preceptor Sherry Archer.
Angella and
Rebecca presenting,
“Connecting the
Homeless to care”.
To learn more about homelessness in Rockwood and the organizations who are helping those experiencing homelessness,
check out the following websites:
Human Solutions: http://humansolutions.org/
JOIN: http://joinpdx.org/
Wallace Medical Concern: http://www.wallacemedical.org/
Anawim Christian Services: http://anawimcc.org/
Resources:
1.
2.
3.
Guarino, K., & Bassuk, E. (2010). Working with families experiencing homelessness. Zero To Three, 30(3), 11-20
10p. Retrieved from:
http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/Working_With_Families_Experiencing_Homelessness.pdf
Multnomah County. (2015). 2015 Point-in-Time Count. Retrieved from: https://multco.us/housing-andhomelessness/2015-point-time-report
Oregon DHS Office of Forecasting, Research, & Analysis. (2015). High Poverty Hotspots Gresham Area,
Multnomah County. Retrieved from: http://www.oregon.gov/dhs/businessservices/ofra/Documents/High%20Poverty%20Hotspots%20Multnomah%20Gresham.pdf
OPHA: Working together to make health happen
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Oregon Public Health Association: Nursing Section
Spring 2016
Capitol Visit Day 2016
The Oregon Public Health Association (OPHA) successfully held its annual Capitol Visit Day in Salem on
February 5, 2016. The meeting room was packed with over 120 participants. Nurses were well represented
with more than half of the participants being nursing students or nursing faculty.
The day started with presentations by Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer
and Senator Chuck Riley. Attendees received tips for effective advocacy and learned about bills making their
way through the legislative process. Attendees met with Oregon legislators to talk about public health, public
health modernization and advocate for bills endorsed by OPHA. OPHA’s endorsed bills focused on the social
determinants of health (housing and minimum wage); a healthy environment; protecting Oregon’s youth; and
gun violence prevention. You can find out more about OPHA’s policy endorsements here: The majority of
attendees indicated that this Capitol Visit Day was their first time meeting with legislators and found it to be a
positive experience. Hopefully this means we have a whole new group of public health advocates in the
making!
OPHA’s public health partner organizations helped to make the day a success. Public health organizations
tabled in the Capitol Galleria provided talking points for legislation and gave presentations to the OPHA Board
of Directors. Thank you to the OPHA Nursing Section for encouraging participation and providing funds for
breakfast. Photos from Capitol Visit Day are here. The OPHA Policy Committee will host a legislative debrief at
noon on Friday, March 18 in Room 1D at the Portland State Office Building and by phone. All OPHA members
are invited, details coming soon.
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Oregon Public Health Association: Nursing Section
Spring 2016
Public Health in the News…….
Zika virus disease (Zika) is a disease caused by Zika virus that is spread to people primarily through the bite of an
infected Aedes species mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis
(red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an
infected mosquito. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. For this
reason, many people might not realize they have been infected. Once a person has he or she is likely to be protected
from future infections.
Zika virus was first discovered in 1947 and is named after the Zika forest in Uganda. In 1952, the first human cases of
Zika were detected and since then, outbreaks of Zika have been reported in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, and the
Pacific Islands. Zika outbreaks have probably occurred in many locations. Before 2007, at least 14 cases of Zika had
been documented, although other cases were likely to have occurred and were not reported. Because the symptoms
of Zika are similar to those of many other diseases, many cases may not have been recognized.
In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert regarding the first confirmed Zika virus
infection in Brazil and on Feb 1, 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika virus a public health
emergency of international concern (PHEIC). Local transmission has been reported in many other countries and
territories. Zika virus likely will continue to spread to new areas.
Specific areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission(http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/index.html) is ongoing are often
difficult to determine and are likely to change over time. If traveling, please visit the CDC Travelers' Health site for the
most updated travel information.
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/about/index.html
Want to submit an article for the newsletter?
Nursing
Section
OPHA: Working together to make health happen
We’re happy to review it and add it to our next newsletter.
Deadline for Summer Newsletter submission is May 27th.
If you have any questions on the newsletter or need
guidelines for writing an article, email:
[email protected].
Newsletter editors: Pamela Ferguson & Theresa Watts
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