Public health nurses: Going the extra mile for our patients

The nursing job at one of New York’s 62 counties is very different from that in a typical hospital. Many county nurses are field-based and directed out of the health, social service and mental health departments. They may provide home visits, run vaccination clinics, conduct cancer and TB screenings, or administer flu shots.

Regardless of the particular job and which county they work for, these nurses work largely work outside of an institutional setting and may travel miles every day to bring healthcare to those who need it most.

NYSNA nurses employed by Onondaga County in Syracuse and by Westchester County in the Mid Hudson Valley are both in the process of negotiating new contracts with better protections for patient care.