The dynamic changes in healthcare funding and law strive to develop healthier communities. As a result, community health assessment is critical in selecting the kind of resources to deploy to each population segment based on their efficiency, strengths, and needs. A community health needs assessment goes a long way toward incorporating a population's broader healthcare determinants by recognizing that a population's medical needs are constantly changing. The current study conducts a needs assessment of Sentinel City's health requirements and dangers. A virtual community by conducting a comprehensive demographics assessment, community safety inventory, windshield survey and population health scavenger hunt. A community health diagnosis for this population is then conducted based on Healthy People 2020 goals and community resources.
Needs Assessment Summary for Sentinel City
Demographics assessment
Sentinel City has a population of 443,842 inhabitants. Of this population, the whites make up the largest segment (80.4%) with the people of Hawaiian origin being the least (0.2%). On the other hand, the population is made up of 10,4% blacks, 2.0% American Indians 3.7% Asian., and 31.5% Hispanics. A better fraction of this population comprises of adults. As a matter of fact, 7.4% of the population is aged less than 5 years while 21.7% is below 18 years. However, 10.5% of the population has attained the age of 45 years. With a median household income of $135,144, 18.9% of the inhabitants of Sentinel City live below the poverty level.
Sentinel City has four neighborhoods; Nightingale Square, Acer Tech Center, Casper Park District and Industrial Heights. Each of these neighborhoods has a population of 103,974, 149,390, 352,443 and 38,855 respectively. On the other hand, the four neighborhoods enjoy a median household income of $249,550, $144,300, $80,134 and $24,472 respectively. Industrial Heights leads in the number of uninsured populace (37.5%). Nightingale Square enjoys the least population of non-insured residents (0.7%) while Acer Tech Center and Industrial Heights have 1.5% and 22.7% of their populations not insured.
Scavenger hunt
Sentinel City enjoys varied services aimed at proper development of community based health fitness. For instance, children in this location are provided with key public health educational programs like nutrition classes at school. On the other hand, education institutions offer key provisions like swimming lessons, gardening, kids summer program, city sports and afterschool initiatives aimed at ensuring proper childhood development and physical health. On the other hand, the seniors department of Sentinel City has well equipped facilities which offer assisted living programs. Further, the elderly members of this community benefit from the services offered by highly skilled nurses with high quality nursing care beds, swing beds and long term care beds.
Sentinel City scores highly in its efforts of ensuring that its inhabitants get the desired access to protective care services. The locale has efficiently institutionalized its adoption; head start and early start initiatives for children in need. As a matter of fact, Sentinel City offers subsidy benefits for childcare providers. Further, childcare providers and children in need enjoy subsidy services like charitable healthcare, SNAP, WIC, ACA, Medicare, and Medicaid. According to Sidney et al. (2013) testing for sexually transmitted diseases is one of the key indicators of population wellbeing. In Sentinel City, there are facilities offering key medical scrutiny services like STD and pregnancy tests, infertility assistances, screening for breast cancer, preconception assistances, screening for cervical cancer and pregnancy aids. In fact, Sentinel City has come up with commodity supplemental food initiative and emergency food program as food assistance initiatives aimed at assisting its populace.
Neighborhood Safety Inventory
Sentinel City has four key neighborhoods; Nightingale Square, Acer Tech Center, Casper Park District and Industrial Height. Each of these neighborhoods present individual safety concerns to Sentinel City. For instance, Industrial Heights presents security and health concerns based on varied issues. According to Sunshine et al (2017), the public health conditions of a neighborhood are significant contributors of the extents of health wellbeing of a region. One of the greatest health concerns in Industrial Heights is environmental pollution and cleanliness. The region engages in dangerous activities like burning trashcans and accumulation of garbage on sidewalks. Such acts are very dangerous on the environment. Presence of stray dogs makes the region face the dangers of transferable diseases. On the other hand, criminal activities like arson and destruction of property are rampant in this area. Of the total arrests made last year, a majority were cited to have emanated from drug and substance abuse with 14% of the convicts being charged with the use of controlled substances and 23% being charged for abusing cannabis.
In Casper Park District, garbage, stray dogs, boarded up buildings and homeless population account for the security and health concerns. The rates of drug abuse are high with 14% of the people arrested being charged with the use of controlled substances and 23% being charged for abusing cannabis. On the other hand, arson is the greatest security concerns in Casper Park district.
Windshield survey
Most of the housing facilities and commercial buildings available in Sentinel City are made up of bricks and stones. The city is well connected to critical transport and communication outlets such as sidewalks and paths. However, some of the buildings are in poor conditions revealing the presence of graffiti and broken and boarded up windows. However, the city does not en joy the presence of gardens and yards. Being an urban location, Sentinel City has limited open spaces. Environmental health is an issue of concern in this area based on the fact that the city has piles of garbage and rubbles. However, the region enjoys the presence of trees.
Sentinel City does not demarcate its geographic areas by application of real boundaries. However, different regions are separated by the use of names with no signs being displayed for distinction. Further, economic classifications are used to demarcate towns and locations in the city. Some of the conspicuous features of Sentinel include a soup kitchen, school yard, a convenience store, a park, grocery and a tennis court.
Some of the features depicting the ethnicities of Sentinel City include Mexican and Italian restaurants. The only religious institution available in this area is the Catholic Church. A part from these considerations, the city reveals the presence of people in wheel chairs. Further, radio and print media are considered as the key sources of information in Sentinel City with the most read magazine being Carpentertainment.
Epidemiology and Health Determinants
Epidemiology and environmental health
Torisk (2013) defines epidemiology as the analysis of diseases distributed within a population based on their determinants. Healthy People 2020 identify education attainment, healthy child development, biology and genetic endowment, health services, personal health practices and coping skills, income and social status, social support networks, employment and working conditions and physical environment as the nine determinants of a population’s health.
A scan of the epidemiology of Sentinel City indicates that the populace is well educated and has the ability of making the right decisions concerning their health statuses. As a matter of fact, 85.1% of the inhabitants of this area are high school graduates. Further, 42.2% of the inhabitants have attained a bachelor’s degree in Sentinel City. On the other hand, the population enjoys higher levels of financial income with the per capita income standing at $32,597 and a median household income of $49,091.The city avails employment opportunities to its populace with the total number of firms standing at 67,500. There are all indications to prove that the inhabitants of Sentinel City are well protected from the predisposing factors to diseases.
Epidemiology data
While the physical indications of Sentinel City reveal that the population is not at a higher risk of disease attack, the region has a population of 10.5% of persons over 65 years. According to Torisk (2013), elderly people face higher risks of contracting lifestyle diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. Further, a population of 10.4% and 31.5% of African Americans and Hispanics predisposes Sentinel City to greater risks of diseases like cancer. According to Sidney et al. (2013), American minorities such as African Americans, Mexicans and Hispanics are at a higher risk of lifestyle diseases like stroke. On the other hand, Simon and Hurvitz (2014) explain that African Americans with these diseases are most likely not to live longer than their white counterparts. Torisk (2013) attributes such conditions to poor access to vital healthcare facilities among the blacks and the inmate fear of seeking for vital medical services. Sidney et al. (2013) cite immigration statuses of a larger percentage of the minority group as one of the key factors restricting them from seeking healthcare services at an earlier time.
Application of Epidemiology
According to Torisk (2013), epidemiology refers to the analysis of population characteristics as determinants of diseases. The people of Sentinel are exposed to a wider range of determinants of disease. For instance, presents of poorly managed garbage and rubbles in some sections of the city exposes the population to critical health hazards. The inhabitants of this area are at higher risks of contracting water borne diseases and pathogenic infections spread by insects like flies. A part from the health hazardous environments the people of Sentinel City are exposed to, it is also important to appraise the area for its institutionalization of preventive care facilities. The healthcare facilities are well equipped. For instance, senior departments have long term care beds, living center units and skilled nurses. On the other hand, there is evidence of effective implementation of protective services with the availability of head start and early start initiatives. Further, the community takes care of its vulnerable members through the institutionalization of commodity supplemental food programs, food assistances, emergency food programs and the USDA food initiatives.
Community Diagnosis for Sentinel City
Problems facing Sentinel City based on Healthy People 2020 goals
One of the key goals of Healthy People 2020 is to attain high quality longer lives free of preventable diseases, disability, injury and premature death (Koh, Blakery and Roper, 2014). Based on the data presented, sentinel City still lags behind in its efforts of ensuring that this objective is met. There is evidence of people in wheel chairs and crutches. On the other hand, increasing levels of garbage accumulation in this city exposes children to diseases which may lead to early deaths.
The second goal of Healthy People 2020 is to attain health equity through elimination of disparities and improving the health of all groups. The city under scrutiny does not put the health concerns of the youths into great considerations as it is for children and the elderly. There are specialized facilities to take care of the health needs of these two groups. However, the youths have been sidelined.
Healthy People 2020 aim at creating social and physical environments that promote good health among all members of the society. Availability of garbage and stray dogs in Sentinel goes against this goal. As a matter of fact, it exposes the people to poor health conditions.
Community resources availed
While the physical environment of Sentinel is considered as a health threat, planting of trees acts as a precautionary measure to avoid excessive environmental degradation. There is evidence that the inhabitants have made the efforts of planting some trees. According to Sunshine et al. (2017), trees play a significant role in purifying the air.
Preventable diseases through healthy environments
According to Koh, Blakery and Roper (2014), most of the preventable diseases are caused by environmental exposures which can be easily avoided. Promotion of healthy physical environments plays a significant role in ensuring that people are exposed to good quality air, clean water and uncontaminated lands. Inhalation of contaminated air exposes a population to respiratory illnesses. On the other hand, intake of contaminated water leads to the contraction of crucial diseases such as diarrhea, cholera and typhoid.
Application of assessment strategies
The simulation assessment strategies have played a significant role in enlightening me on the effects of various environmental factors on the health statuses of a population. I will apply the simulation in my community assessment by considering all details of the community and their contributions to health. Further, I will apply the classification techniques adopted by the simulation in finding out the contributions of each demographic aspects to the community’s wellbeing.
References
Koh, H. K., Blakey, C. R., & Roper, A. Y. (2014). Healthy People 2020: a report card on the health of the nation. Jama, 311(24), 2475-2476.
Sidney, S., Rosamond, W. D., Howard, V. J., & Luepker, R. V. (2013). The “heart disease and stroke statistics—2013 update” and the need for a national cardiovascular surveillance system.
Simon, T., & Hurvitz, K. (2014). Healthy people 2020 objectives for violence prevention and the role of nursing. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 19(1).
Sunshine, J., Dwyer-Lindgren, L., Chen, A., & Mokdad, A. H. (2017). Seat-belt use In US counties: limited progress toward Healthy People 2020 Objectives. Health Affairs, 36(4), 636-639.
Twisk, J. W. (2013). Applied longitudinal data analysis for epidemiology: a practical guide. Cambridge University Press.
