Task 1 Community Health Simulation

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School

Weber State University *

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Course

C826

Subject

Health Science

Date

Jan 9, 2024

Type

docx

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Uploaded by mary37946

1 Task One 826 College of Health Professions, WGU Mary Krish August 8, 2023

2 A. See attached PDF Photo Journal B. Needs Assessment Summary: Demographic Assessment : The population of Sentinel City is 663,862 where 7.4% of the population is 5 years old or younger, 21.7% of residents are under the age of 18, 60.4% of residents are between the ages of 18 and 64, and 10.5% of residents are over the age of 65. There was some diversity in Sentinel City, 80.6% of the residents were White or Caucasian, 10.4% were Black or African American, 2.0% were Native, 3.7% were of Asian descent, 0.2% were Pacific Islanders, and 31.5% of the city's residents identified as Hispanic or Latino (American Sentinel University, 2020). The median household income for Sentinel City was $49,091, with 18.9% of its residents living below the poverty level. (American Sentinel University, 2020) There are four neighborhood communities in the city, they are Casper Park, Nightingale Square, Acer Tech Center, and Industrial Heights. More than half of Sentinel City residents lived in Casper Park which had a population of 352,643, a median household income of $80,134, and 22.7% of its residents did not have insurance. Nightingale Square had 103,974 residents, with a median household income of $269,550 and 0.7% of its residents were uninsured. Acer Tech Center had 168,390 residents, a median household income of $166,300, and 1.5% of its population doesn’t have insurance. Lastly, Industrial Heights had 38,855 residents with a median income of $24,672, and 37.5% of residents were uninsured (American Sentinel University, 2020), the highest uninsured rate in the city. The demographic tool was used to evaluate economic differences between the neighborhoods and to evaluate the types of people who reside in Sentinel City. It was used to evaluate the types of healthcare needs the residents might utilize, need, or be missing out on. Lastly, it allowed me to compare the neighborhoods and formulate an understanding of the socioeconomic variances between the neighborhoods. Neighborhood Safety Assessment: The neighborhood safety assessment proved that Sentinel City is a semi-maintained city with some environmental pollution, trash cans all over the city, some litter, and graffiti. In Industrial Heights, cars were broken down and falling apart on the road, trash littered the sidewalks, and there were a few stray animals. Industrial Heights had the highest number of homeless, the highest number of dog bites, and the most police presence. The buildings were run down and covered in graffiti. The Casper Park District had the second highest rate of homelessness, and there were hazardous substances spilling into the street, there was a food stand next to some garbage piled up on the side of a building. There had been a shooting or other criminal activity outside of the ABC Daycare, and lots of construction around the neighborhood. Acer Tech was much nicer and cleaner than the previous two neighborhoods. Nightingale Square was the wealthiest part of the city. The buildings were nicer, and the stores and cars seemed to be more upscale. Nightingale Square is where the hospital, museum, and grocery store were located. It had street performers and a senior living center, and it had the lowest rate of homeless individuals. When speaking with the City Mayor he mentioned drug use and violence within the city that he’d like to address. Within the city, 30% of residents use alcohol, and 24% use tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine (American Sentinel University, 2020). I had also spoken with an individual with an untreated STD, which could be problematic for the city’s residents and could potentially cause small-scale epidemics if they’re not addressed. This assessment tool allowed me to gather information about the safety of the city. It allowed me to get a surface-level idea of the city. I was able to see environmental hazards and economic differences between the neighborhoods. This assessment tool allowed me to gather information about the safety of the city, and the issues that arise from crime and drug use. It provided me with information that could help in reducing environmental pollutants, coming up with educational material about animal bites and STDs, as well as reducing gang-related and drug-related crimes.

3 Scavenger Hunt: The Scavenger hunt started with Parks and Recreation where the services offered were educational programs, swimming classes, nutrition and gardening courses, kids' summer programs, fitness courts, and after-school programs. 40-50% of the Parks and Recreation budget was spent on park maintenance (American Sentinel University, 2020). In the last year, budgets for park improvements have decreased, and paying for programs and personnel and administration have increased. Last year, 35% of park complaints were due to the homeless population, 20% were due to park cleanliness, 20 % due to stray animals, and drugs accounted for 10% of the complaints filed. The most common park citations were for Trespassing at 31% and Violent Crimes 24% (American Sentinel University, 2020). Joe's Grocery Store had quite a few food-borne related illnesses, which 46% of those illnesses came from its produce section and about 17% came from Dairy products. The price of most of their food items has increased in the last 10 years, but the price of chicken and milk decreased in the last ten years. With the increase in food prices over the last ten years, the number of families who use SNAP and WIC has increased, and 27% of elementary students receive free or reduced lunch. Elderly services were offered by the healthcare system as well as other healthcare-related services such as dentistry, vision, inpatient, Emergency services, a pharmacy, a variety of therapeutic services, and functional medicine. It is also noted the highest rate of patients seen in the Emergency room are on Friday and Saturday nights. In the City Hall, they offered social services such as protective services, healthcare assistance, Head Start, WIC, SNAP, Adoption services, Youth & Independent living assistance, and childcare benefits. It is where the residents apply for state benefits such as Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC. In City Hall it was noted that 200,000 citizens were using Medicaid and a little over 100,000 were using Medicare. According to City Hall, 36% of SNAP recipients were low-income, 23% were persons in training programs, 26% were disabled, and 15% were elderly 60+ years (American Sentinel University, 2020) . The Better Health Clinic offered services regarding sexual health, family planning, STD testing, as well as preventative health screens. The soup kitchen helped feed impoverished children & adults, the homeless, and veterans. The affordable housing project helped people get into safe living quarters. At City Hall: Police Department it was noted that the crime rate was 3,605 per 100,000 residents, and violent crime rates were 311.1 per 100,000. Aggravated Assault was the most reported violent crime and more violent crimes were committed by men than women (American Sentinel University, 2020). EMS response times on average was between 6- 8 minutes. The information in this tool would help the residents with finding childcare, applying for health insurance coverage, and other healthcare-related assistance. The Scavenger hunt could help residents know the services offered by their community, such as housing, The Soup Kitchen, and social services. It would also help the mayor and other city officials with the management of the parks and other recreational centers. Windshield Survey : The windshield survey proved that there weren’t many broken-down buildings throughout the city, they were mostly in the poorer neighborhoods. The buildings were made of brick and concrete and there wasn’t much yard space in any of the neighborhoods. Trees lined the streets, especially in Acer Tech and Nightingale Square. A lot of buildings had air conditioner units hanging out of the apartment windows. The streets were all interconnected and somewhat easy to navigate. Nightingale Square and Acer Tech Center had nicer buildings, streets, and cars. There weren’t distinct boundaries or signs as to where the neighborhoods begin or end. In sentinel city, there were a few common areas such as convenience stores, a park, a tennis court and basketball court, a museum, and a few restaurants. It seemed as if the common areas were open to everyone. A lot of residents of Sentinel City used public

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4 transportation and traveled by foot. As I explored around the city, I noticed there were some stray cats, dogs, and rats running around in the street. Many services were offered in Sentinel City, such as dentistry and other healthcare services, government assistance services, convenience stores, a laundromat, a soup kitchen, and parks where people were playing. The people in the city seemed to be normal, there was a variety of races, ages, ethnicities, religions, cultural backgrounds, and disabilities throughout the city. The museum in Acer offered a wheelchair ramp into the building, but I didn’t see much more accessibility for the wheelchair-bound residents. Without speaking to the residents, I didn’t visually see many people with chronic diseases or conditions. I did however see billboards to quit smoking. The Windshield survey showed me disparities and economic differences between the neighborhoods. It showed how the more improved areas had higher crimes and dirty streets, and how the wealthier neighborhoods had nicer things and easier access to the Museum and the hospital. B. 1: Interpretation of Data : The overall health in Sentinel City is poor. This is evident by death rates that resulted from lack of nutrition, substance abuse, and death related to cardiovascular disease and cancer, and the fact that 62.7% of its residents are uninsured (Healthcare Learning Innovations, 2018). Another issue is food insecurity, this is evident by the 27% of students who are on reduced or free lunches, the number of residents that utilize the soup kitchen, and the increase in food prices over the last 10 years. Childhood obesity is also another problem Sentinel City faces, based on the interview with The Mayor. Sentinel City has a variety of people from different backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and religions. There is a lack of health and healthcare information provided to the citizens of Sentinel City. This is evident by the percentage of uninsured residents, the number of babies born to mothers who smoke, and the rates of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer-related deaths. This is also evident in the STD rates. The incidents of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are higher in high school students than in adults. The city could implement a rehab center to help with the incidence of alcohol and substance abuse, reducing the rate of alcohol and substance abuse in the city could reduce the crime and unemployment rates. It could implement sexual education and tobacco prevention programs throughout middle school and high schools. C. Three problems for sentinel city based on healthy people goals. 1. Food safety: I chose food safety as a goal because the grocery store has a high rate of foodborne illness outbreaks, especially from the produce and dairy products. My goal would be to lower the incidence of foodborne illness outbreaks in Sentinel City by teaching the community the importance of food safety, and proper food storage. The overall Healthy People 2020 goal for food safety is “ Reduce foodborne illness in the United States by improving food safety-related behaviors and practices .” with one of the objectives being FS-5 “ Increase the proportion of consumers who follow the key food safety practice of “clean: wash hands and surfaces often .” ( Food Safety | Healthy People 2020 , n.d.) 2. Environmental health: While driving through Industrial Way there were unknown and potentially toxic substances leaking out into the street. There were also broken-down cars and run- down buildings. The Goal is “ Promote health for all through a healthy environment.” With one objective EH-11 stating to “ Reduce the amount of toxic pollutants released into the environment” ( Environmental Health | Healthy People 2020 , n.d.-b) According to Healthy People 2020 “Globally, 23% of all deaths and 26% of deaths among children under age 5 are due to preventable environmental factors” ( Environmental Health | Healthy People 2020 , n.d.). 3. Economic Stability: In my research, I discovered that in Sentinel City 18.9% of its residents live in poverty, and 27% of the city’s students are on free or reduced lunch. The poorest neighborhoods were Industrial Heights and Casper Park District. The Healthy People 2020 goal that I chose is to “ Promote health and reduce chronic disease risk through consumption of healthful diets and

5 achievement and maintenance of healthy body weights.” One of the objectives of this goal is to “ Eliminate very low food security among children” . ( Nutrition and Weight Status | Healthy People 2020 , n.d.-c) . I chose this topic because 27% of the children in school were on free or reduced lunch, the mayor mentioned a problem with childhood obesity, and I don’t believe any child should go without food. I think teaching children proper nutrition while they’re young will lead to healthier eating habits and healthier lifestyles. 2. D iscuss community resources (e.g., Sentinel City™ Affordable Housing Project, Better Health Clinic) that are available to address one of the problems identified in part C1. Community resources that are available to address economic stability and low food security are found in the City Hall and The Affordable Housing Project. City Hall has resources for WIC and SNAP which provide supplemental nutrition for families. WIC and SNAP provide vouchers and financial assistance specifically for food. These programs target low-income individuals and families with children. WIC focuses on pregnant mothers and young children under the age of 5. The Affordable Housing Project helps with housing and homelessness. Department of Public Transportation offers low-cost alternatives to transportation. It is more cost-effective to ride the bus around the city than owning and driving their own vehicle. 3. Primary prevention topic: Eliminate very low food security among children. In Healthy People 2020, the topic Nutrition and Weight Status aims to " promote healthful diets and healthy weight encompasses increasing household food security and eliminating hunger.” ( Nutrition and Weight Status | Healthy People 2020 , n.d.-b). According to Healthy People 2020 “1.3 percent of households with children had very low food security.” ( Nutrition and Weight Status / Healthy People 2020, n.d) . D. I will apply the assessment strategies that I have learned from the simulation to take a deeper look at my community to understand what community health needs my community faces. I will assess the buildings and cleanliness around my community, the people who reside within my community, and any sort of environmental pollution that might have been overlooked before. I also learned how to identify and set goals to improve the community. I will use this information in the future to help educate myself and the public about the issues that arise in our community, or preexisting problems within the community.

6 Citation Food Safety | Healthy People 2020 . (n.d.). https://wayback.archive it.org/5774/20220414163116/https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/ topic/food-safety/objectives Environmental Health | Healthy People 2020 . (n.d.). https://wayback.archive-it.org/5774/20220413202635/https://www.healthypeople.gov/ 2020/topics-objectives/topic/environmental-health Nutrition and Weight Status | Healthy People 2020 . (n.d.). https://wayback.archive-it.org/5774/20220414033439/https://www.healthypeople.gov/ 2020/topics-objectives/topic/nutrition-and-weight-status/objectives Healthcare Learning Innovations (Sentinel City) [Computer Software]. (2018). Aurora, Co. Retrieved from http://wgu.ucertify.com/ Sentinel U® Login . (n.d.-c). https://sentinelworld.healthcarelearninginnovations.com/Simulation/SentinelCity31/Start

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Task 1 Community Health Simulation

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