This text presents foundational concepts pivotal to delivering nursing care in the community setting, with specific attention to the NLN competencies for community-based nursing care. The author examines the variety of settings and situations in which the community-based nurse provides care, highlighting cultural diversities in the patient populations, and emphasizing interactions between the individual and the family. Some exciting features of the 5th edition include:The Nurse Speaks/The Nursing Student Speaks is a real-life, clinical, community-based nursing example opening each chapter.Healthy People 2020, the foundation for the nation's 10-year health objectives, is examined and applied wherever relevant, providing the most up-to-date information on community issues such as access to care, obesity, emerging infectious diseases, technological advances, and alternative complementary therapies.Client Situations in Practice boxes examine real life community-based nursing situations and solutions specific to each chapter's content.Assessment Tools boxes provide opportunities to apply learning and test knowledge gained.