# “Working Deeply With the Community”: Nurse‐Community Partnership Processes for Climate Justice

## TL;DR

Public health nurses and community organizations work together to address climate justice by building trust and sharing power, despite challenges like distance and institutional barriers.

## Contribution

This study expands models of nurse-community partnerships by highlighting values-driven collaboration and the role of public health nurses in climate justice.

## Key findings

- Partnership processes are grounded in trust, care, and shared purpose.
- Power-sharing, capacity building, and mutual respect sustain long-term collaboration.
- Geographic distance and institutional constraints hinder advocacy and connection.

## Abstract

To explore how public health nurses (PHNs) and community‐based organizations (CBOs) collaborate to advance climate justice, including their partnership processes, perceived facilitators and barriers, and the values that shape their relational work.

A qualitative descriptive study using photovoice and semi‐structured interviews, analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis.

Eight PHNs and five CBO representatives from six US states participated, forming five PHN‐CBO dyads and three solo PHNs.

Data were collected from August 2022 to February 2023. Participants took photographs to guide discussion during joint photovoice sessions and participated in individual semi‐structured interviews. Transcripts were coded deductively, using the Authentic Partnerships Model, and inductively to identify emergent themes.

Participants described partnership processes that were grounded in trust, care, and a shared purpose. They emphasized the importance of power‐sharing, capacity building, and mutual respect in sustaining long‐term collaboration. Geographic distance and institutional constraints emerged as barriers to advocacy and connection. Personal values, community ties, and a desire for relational accountability in climate justice work shaped pathways into partnership.

Findings expand current models of partnership and suggest that PHNs play a critical role in advancing climate justice through reflective, values‐driven collaboration with communities.