Due to our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have confronted many new issues as well as questioned the quality of past healthcare delivery and education. This content focuses on improving public and community health and emphasizes the need for the nursing profession to do more to make this area of healthcare as integral to healthcare delivery as is acute care. Designed to support current standards and goals for the nursing profession, Communicable Diseases, Epidemics, and Pandemics provides students with a succinct yet vital exploration of the critical role of nurses in providing interventions and care to communities during public health emergencies. The guide provides readers with a historical perspective of epidemics and pandemics, as well as their implications on public health. It examines the impact of COVID-19 on communities with distinct focus on health equity, disparities, population health, and vulnerable populations. In addition, the topics of health policy, government response, public and community health education and information, and nursing roles and responsibilities during epidemics and pandemics are covered. Communicable Diseases, Epidemics, and Pandemics is part of the Cognella Series on Public and Community Health Nursing, a collection of concise, informative guides that explore critical topical areas, their nursing application, and their relationship to nursing practice.