What is the role of nursing in promoting good health?

Nurses are very important in the promotion of good health
for a number of reasons.  The first reason that comes to mind is that there there are
public health nurses whose sole mission is the promotion of public health.  They
frequently visit people in their communities to educate them on good health practices
and to monitor people's health practices.  In private medical practices, nurses are
often the people who have more time to spend with patients, discussing the patients'
health, educating them about their health, showing them how to take care of themselves. 
For example, a person who is newly diabetic will usually be taught how to inject
insulin, how to monitor blood sugar levels, and how to eat properly.  When patients call
with questions, it is usually the nurse who answers the questions.  It is similar in
hospitals, as well, with nurses doing many of the same tasks.  There are also many home
healthcare nurses who take excellent care of homebound patients and the elderly.  I
should also mention that the role of nurses in healthcare is expanding significantly
because of the economy and because of the aging of our population.  My guess is that we
would have a much unhealthier population if we did not have
nurses.