The community assessment is a critical part of health planning and policy development.
Each student will implement a community assessment in his or her home community using the guideline provided. The community itself may be a city, village, census tract, or neighborhood. Define the community in the introduction to your report.
Detailed Instruction:
Community: Practice Integrated Experience
The purpose of this assignment is to provide an opportunity for you to investigate and research your own community. Each student will prepare a paper that presents the data and information about the community. Deletions or additions may be made to the project guidelines according to the risks and characteristics of the population or the community. If a particular characteristic is not observed or data are not available, explain the circumstance briefly in the report. The community can be defined by its geopolitical boundaries such as a city or county, or, the community can be more narrowly defined such as a specific census track or neighborhood in the larger community. Activities that contribute to the preparation of this report include the Windshield Survey, visits to agencies, interviews, and research of literature and data bases. Guideline for the report is provided. Creativity is encouraged!
Submit your report to the assignment box by due date and after submitting to Turnitin.com. The report is a formal paper and must adhere to APA format. Include a title page with the report. Tables and charts may be used. The report is generally 10 pages (excluding title page, references, and appendices).
The student will prepare a slide presentation on the findings of the assessment. The presentation will be presented to classmates in the forum, Unit 4.
There are five parts to the assignment.
1. Windshield Survey I am sure you have driven and walked in many areas of your community. Take the next opportunity when you drive somewhere to look closely at the people and places that you see. Refer to the textbook’s description of this activity, the Windshield Survey. Later make notes about what you saw. Use the headings of the survey components to organize your observations. Describe the environment and the behaviors you see. Give examples of your observations. For example, if you observe that your community has Christian, Muslin, and Jewish houses of worship, that observation is evidence of heterogeneity in religious preferences in your community. If your community has only Christian churches, that is evidence of homogeneity in religious preferences. Specific denominations might be evident also. As you walk or ride through streets, you might see one age group dominate an area. Record your observations objectively.
2. Census Data Next, go to the census data to get more quantitative data. Census data are very important in determining population needs. Go to the census data at: US Census . If you are an international student living in another country, you might want to go to international census at: International Census Data. Explore these sites for there is much information. It can be time consuming to navigate these areas so don’t get frustrated. Just explore and learn. Document the state�s total population and population of the town or community. Again, the definition or geopolitical boundaries will direct you to find the appropriate population data. Next, search for the population of the top three ethnic groups in your defined community and the population of persons 18 years and under. Last, document the population of persons 65 and older.
3. Environmental Data Visit the website below. What is your community’s major environmental concern? Environmental Protection Agency
The website has valuable information. To access your community’s specific data, scroll to my environment and enter your zip code.
The website below is a CDC site that addresses the complexity of determining the public health assessment process when investigating exposure to toxic substances.
Public Health Assessment
4. Health Data Analyze the observations recorded in the Windshield Survey summary. Did you see evidence of health risks? Do people in the community have access to health care as evidenced by availability of clinics, hospitals, and health promoting environments such as walking trails and parks?
Next, go to the websites of your state and county departments of public health. (You may also consult with someone directly; make an appointment if you do this.) What were the three leading causes of death in the state and county? Examine the latest summary of �reportable diseases.�The current MMWR provides the state�s data. MMWR . Document significant findings for your state or region. If these data are not readily accessible, explain circumstances in the report.
5. Health Services and Service Deficits Visit again the Healthy People 2020 website. Based on your investigation of the community, describe health services needed or services that need to be strengthened. You may also find an obstacle to an existing service. Examples of services and resources that might emerge from the analysis of your community are listed below.
Services for infants and children Transcultural services Environmental services Services for the elders Transportation services Farm safety resources Mental health services Rehabilitative services
The evaluation rubric follows.
Evaluation Rubric :
Element of Report Points
Windshield Survey Introduces community or population Housing and zoning Open Space Boundaries Commons Transportation Service Centers Stores Street people Signs of decay Race Ethnicity Health and morbidity Politics Media *Reference: Standhope and Lancaster , Windshield Survey
Possible Points: 10/40
Census Data State�s total population Town or county�s total population Population of top three ethnic groups Population of persons 18 years and under Population of person 65 and older
Possible Points: 5/40
Environmental Data Community�s concerns as identified by EPA Source of community�s water supply; any contamination threat Observations of community�s environment Statistics or other relevant data regarding the environment
Possible Points: 5/40
Health Data Leading causes of death in state and county Reportable diseases Risk behaviors Service deficits Environmental hazards
Possible Points: 10/40
Health Services and Service Deficits Describes at least one service needed in the defined community. Discusses the evidence for a needed service or improvement of service Describes how the service might be funded Discusses the actual or potential role for nurses
Possible Points:5/40
Format and Style Spelling, grammar, and APA format Clarity of ideas and data Originality evident by Turnitin report Quality of references utilized References documented appropriately
Possible Point 5/40
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