Bass Report

  Community Health Nursing in Shomron (2002–2023) Over two decades as a community and school nurse in Shomron, I witnessed both the power of trust-based care and the systematic erosion of Israel’s once-robust public health infrastructure. My experience underscores five major concerns: 1. Trust and Cultural Competence Drive Vaccine Compliance In Imanuel, a largely Haredi town, no outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses occurred. This was not due to blind compliance but the fruit of long-term trust-building, consistent presence, and culturally congruent care. Even vaccine-hesitant families opted for partial compliance when approached with understanding and respect. Literature supports this: community-based, culturally sensitive nursing improves outcomes (Schim et al., 2007). 2. Bureaucratic and Hierarchical Management Undermines Public Health From around 2005, school nursing shifted from weekly visits to rotating, task-oriented coverage across many schools. Nurses became itin...

Five basic issues exist within community health nursing:   1 - the nurse used to be present daily, then, she was present weekly. Even a once a week presence can be enough to build some rapport and trust with students and their families, and able to :   a - educate regarding the importance of vaccines b - track side effects to vaccines. 2 - the signature on the health declaration,  which includes a clause for vaccine allowance, is simply not working with parents. After almost a decade in implementing this policy, parents expect to give final approval for the vaccines at the time of administration, not via a signature on a form in the summer before the school year begins. This policy does not work. parents have been angered that their child was vaccinated based only on this signature, yet, the management that oversees school nursing insists on this policy, one that surely breaks trust.  3 - heights and weights used to be performed in the first, third, fifth and seventh...