Public Health Nursing

Public Health nurses provide home visitation for pregnant women, postpartum women, infants and children up to age 21, fathers and families.

What is a Public Health Nurse?

A Public Health Nurse (PHN) is a registered nurse who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in the Science of Nursing. This specialized training leads to specific expertise in Public Health and to the certificate of PHN – Public Health Nurse.

Public Health Nurses in Napa County also have advanced training in:

• Community Resources
• Child and family development including: infant brain development, attachment, newborn behavior and parenting
• Developmental screening and early intervention
• Breastfeeding and infant feeding
• Postpartum depression and mental health issues
• Domestic violence and child abuse and neglect
• Health promotion and disease prevention
• High risk families
• Health problems such in infants at birth such as: congenital anomalies, prematurity, cerebral palsy, cleft lip and palate, prenatal exposure to harmful or addictive substances and many other challenging or unexpected issues
• They are trained in and use Brazelton’s “TouchPoints” model as the theoretical framework for their everyday work 

What do Public Health Nurses do?

• Providing information and support for a healthy pregnancy and childbearing experience
• Teaching about normal development and referrals for infants and children with special needs
• Help coordinate care with multiple agencies in the community including: referral to Medi-cal for application, communication and follow-up with medical specialists outside the community, help finding quality child care, assist with crisis planning like housing, information about immunizations and childhood lead poisoning and linking you to many other resources. This is called Case Management.
• They are part of the WELCOME EVERY BABY home visiting nurse team for Medi-cal families
• Help you have a successful infant feeding experience
• Ensure you have a medical and/or dental care provider for your children and family. This is called having a medical home.
• Provide all services in Spanish and English