In 2008, three women health care professionals responded to a potentially dire situation—the bird flu, or H5N1 epidemic. During that period, the nurses noticed a troubling effect—it was clear that rural communities would not receive the care needed to survive, and residents were asking for guidance in the event they were without access to health care.

They decided to do something.

Collaborating with scientists, teams of nurses, and physicians, the women began transcribing their deep experience mitigating the spread of influenza outside of a hospital setting. They gathered evidence-based tactics from historical outbreaks, including the 1918 pandemic. They amassed a veritable “how to” in the face of a pandemic in America.

The first edition of Pandemic Flu Home Care: A Detailed Guide for Caring for the Ill at Home was published in 2008, another in 2013, and is now under its 3^rd edition in consideration of coronavirus (COVID-19). It is widely regarded as one of the most principle publications on how to slow influenza, care for yourself, and your community during a pandemic.

This is flattening the curve: allowing a system to care for patients over time as opposed to all at once.

“I believe (this book) should be the starting point for governments in pandemic/bioterrorism preparedness planning,” says William D. Stanhope, MS, PA Associate Director at the Institute for Biosecurity.

“When we studied these historical influenza outbreak events—and hearing the stories of living through it firsthand—the setup of a network of support with family, neighbors and friends was one of the best things people could do.” advises co-author Maurine Renville, LISW, MEd. “Sharing resources. Helping one person if the other fell ill. That saved a lot of people. We don’t want anyone to wait until it’s too late to have a plan in place.”

Pandemic Flu Home Care: A Guide to Caring for the Ill at Home is available in both Spanish and English on Amazon.com. All profits go to non-profit organizations and charities after expenses and taxes.

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Contact:

For information on interviews, speaking engagements, or other press-related inquiries, please contact:
Kim Naujock
707-985-8122

info@pandemichomecare.net

www.pandemichomecare.net

About the Authors:

Sandra L. Schwanberg, PhD RN has over 35 years of experience in community and public health nursing and nursing education. She has served on many non-profit community agency boards. Dr. Schwanberg received her basic nursing education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, completed a master’s degree in nursing at the University of Illinois and a doctorate at the University of New Mexico.

Maurine Renville, LISW, MEd has 30 years of experience in education and training, business, community building and clinical social work. She has taught in baccalaureate programs and has developed and implemented a business-training model in communication skills. She received bachelor and master’s degrees in education from Central Washington State University and a graduate degree in social work from New Mexico Highlands University.

Contributions from:

Lesley J. Mortimer, MSN, MPH, FNP has over 38 years of experience in nursing, and deemed an expert in infectious diseases and tropical medicine having worked and lived in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Ms. Mortimer received training from St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing in Racine, Wisconsin and holds a baccalaureate degree from the University of Montana, a master’s in nursing degree from Vanderbilt University and a master’s in public health degree from Johns Hopkins University.

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