Going the Extra Mile: Beyond Health Teaching to Political Involvement

TOPIC. Addressing community health problems through political involvement. PURPOSE AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION. This article describes how a group of RN–BSN students completing an assigned community‐assessment and health‐teaching project in a small, rural, southern county exceeded course requirements to address a significant community health problem. Specifically, after documenting a high rate of dental caries among local children and consulting with state officials and other experts, these students involved themselves in local politics in an effort to persuade county officials to implement community water fluoridation. CONCLUSIONS. These RN–BSN students successfully demonstrated their ability to move beyond a focus on individuals to embrace the concept of community as client. In the process, they honed their skills in advocacy, communication, and political involvement, and achieved all of their BSN program's objectives.