PartnersIn Crisis, Partners In Health (NAPSA)—Nurse Practitioners (NPs) were amongthe first responders to hurricane-ravaged areas along the Gulf Coast. They tended to everyone from infants to the elderly, resetting broken bones, caring for open wounds, combating dehydration, administering medication and doing whatever they could to help. Among them was American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) board member Angela Golden, a nurse practitioner and nursing educator. She was deployed through the American Red Cross after applying through the Medical Reserve Corps. Golden and other volunteers treated over 1,000 survivors with acute-tosevere ailments—many acquired from overcrowdingin shelters. “This experience reinforced how important it is for me to be a partner in someone’s health care,” said Golden. Many members of the AANP are on thefront lines of the American health care system and they, like all nurse practitioners, serve the health needs of communities, not just in times of crisis, but every day, all across the country. About Nurse Practitioners A primary-care-physician shortage in the 1960s inspired the growth of the nurse practitioner’s role, especially in areas of unserved or underserved populations. Now, this dedicated group of health care professionals, more than 106,000 strong in the United States alone, are expert providers =—T" DISASTER SERVICES: Disaster Caused Needs’ ‘ ie a Call Toll Free 1-800-975-7585, i wt p wl all @ Angela Golden (far right), AANP board memberfrom Arizona, takes a much-needed break with other health care responders treating hurricane evacueesin Louisiana. of specialty care in areas such as acute care, adult, emergency, family, gerontology, neonatal, occupational health, oncology, psychiatric/mental health, school and college health, and women’s health. For the past 20 years AANP has provided leadership and support as the largest and only fullservice national professional membership organization in the United States for NPs of all specialties. They treat a multitude of health problems and, unlike many other health care providers, focus on the whole person whentreating specific health problems, as well as educating patients on the effects those problemswill have on them, their loved ones and their communities. That may be part of the reason NPs have the lowest rate of malpractice claims of any primary health care provider. For more information about nurse practitioners, visit www.aanp.org or call 512-442-4262.
