The Role of the Community Health Nurse in Military Humanitarian Operations: Lessons From Operation Sea Signal--Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Abstract

The military humanitarian mission is an "Operation-Other-Than-War" with a goal of restoring or promoting the ability of a population to care for themselves (U.S. Army, 1990b). One of the primary foci of these operations is the medical care of the target populace. The elements and techniques of primary health care have been used for this purpose, especially as the situation of a population stabilizes and demands a community base for health care programs (Downing, 1989). The knowledge and expertise of a community health nurse is indispensable in both acute and chronic humanitarian situations in performing a comprehensive community needs assessment for the formulation of a community base for health care programs while facilitating a health care system that meets the overall needs of the population. The contributions of community health nurses assigned to Joint Task Force 160, during Operation Sea Signal, bear testimony as to the efficacy of such a "specialized" role in the care of displaced populations.