Community Health Assessment

The year 2017 saw a lot of changes to the landscape in Metcalfe County and one little lady from Center even put us on the national news. Here are a few highlights.

The majority of household incomes range from $20,000 - $30,000 (50.3%), yet there are also affluent household incomes ranging from $50,000 - $100,000 (15.4%). The median income in this area is $47,096, compared to the whole Kansas area which is $33,248. The typical "head of household" age is 25 - 34 (22.4%) or age 34 - 44 (23.1%) with a median age of 44.4 years old and an average age of 32 years old. Convenience stores serve the entire purchasing population of its geographical area but focuses on customers who need to purchase items outside of normal working hours such as hourly employees and quick shoppers looking for snacks and related items.

In the United States we are very fortunate. For the most part we do not live in fear of disease outbreaks from day to day. Our government along with the Centers for Disease Control and Public Health Departments have managed to have adults and children vaccinated and set up recommendations regarding those vaccinations. Despite all that is done our country allows freedoms. One of these freedoms is to not vaccinate your child from communicable diseases due to personal beliefs. With the worlds populations becoming more mobile, that sets your child up for dangerous encounters; because some countries are not as strict on laws regarding vaccinations and some

Chesterfield County, Virginia has a population of about 328,000 as of January 1, 2014 with 752 people per square mile. There was a 3.6% increase in the population from April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013. 65.4% of the population is white non-Hispanic, 21.6% are black non-Hispanic, 7.2% are Hispanic, 3.2% are Asian and 2.1% are two or more races. In 2012 there were 3657 births and 1654 deaths in Chesterfield County. They are rated as being safer than 50% of the cities in the US with 41 violent and 1049 crimes against property (Crime rates for Chesterfield, VA, n.d.).

According to the 2010 U.S Census, Abington was made up of 92.5% White, 2.1% Black, 0.3% American Indian, and 1.8% Asian (US Census Bureau 2010).

North Lawndale is one of the 77 community areas in Chicago, located in the western area of the city between South Lawndale, Garfield Park, the Near West Side and Cicero (Steans Family Foundation, 2014).

Officially incorporated in 1817, Baton Rouge became Louisiana’s state capital in 1849. Through many years as a sleepy river town, Baton Rouge steadily grew into a major industrial and governmental center of the

I grew up in the small town of Sweeny, Texas in Brazoria County. Brazoria County has a population of over 330,000 people and about 1,600 thousand square miles long. The majority of Brazoria County is a combination of small towns that gradually get bigger as you get towards the Houston area. About 77.5% of the population is white, 13.5 is African American, 6.8 is Asian and the other 2.2 percent makes up many different races. The overall health ranking of Brazoria County is 23 out of 234 in 2017 (County Health Ranking). Compared to other counties, Brazoria County overall quality of living is about average. We do not have any alarming health issues that are through the roof but that does not mean that we do not have health issues that need to be addressed.

I currently reside in Denver County, Colorado. I have chosen to assess and analyze this community for this assignment. Denver, Colorado is located east of the Eastern Foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Denver County is centrally located within the city of Denver, Colorado and includes the Denver International Airport located north-east of the city. The elevation of this county is 5,277 feet and therefore is nicknamed the “Mile-High City”. Denver County contains 154.9 square miles of land with a large amount of parks and rivers, of which 1.4 miles is water. (City and County of Denver, 2011).

Wyandotte County is located in the middle of the United States in Kansas. The county contains the cities of Bonner Springs, Edwardsville, and Kansas City. Wyandotte’s neighboring counties are Johnson and Leavenworth counties in Kansas, and Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties in Missouri. The county was actually named after the Wyandot Indians who once inhabited the land (Wyandotte County, 2010). Those who live in the region have coined the area with nicknames such as the Heart of America, KCK, and the Dot. “With 163,831 people, Wyandotte County is the 4th most populated county in the state of Kansas out of 105 counties” (Kansas Demographics, n.d.).

A community health assessment is a fundamental instrument of public health practice. Its objective is to depict the health of the community, by presenting information on health standing, community health needs, resources, and epidemiologic and other studies of present local health problems. It seeks to recognize target populations that may be at augmented risk of poor health results and to increase a better understanding of their needs, as well as evaluates the larger community surroundings and how it relate to the health of people. It also identifies those areas where better information is desired, particularly information on health differences amid different subpopulations, quality of health care, and the incidence and severity of disabilities in the population. The Community Health Assessment is the foundation for all local public health development, giving the local health component the instance to recognize and network with key community leaders, businesses and concerned residents about health priorities and concerns. This information shapes the foundation of improving the health status of the community by way of a strategic plan (The Municipal Public Health Services Plan Community Health Assessment Guidance and Format, n.d.).

According to the US census data (US census Bureau 2012), 62% population in Torch Lake Township had annual household income of $35,000 and more whereas 27% popu-lation of Torch Lake Township had annual income of $75,000 and more. As per the results of our survey, on the average, the respondents have lived in Torch Lake Township for 27.5 years (range; 1-83) and have a median age of 50.8 years (range; 20-85).

Mansfield School District is located in the heart of Mansfield Missouri, a small rural community with a population of only 4,349 citizens. 97.3% of the total population is white/Caucasian. According to City-Data.com the estimated annual income in Mansfield is a mere $20,208.00.

The community I am familiar with and live in is Alexandria VA. The population in the area of Alexandria I reside is most working young adults, live in couples, and newly weds. If I had to guess the age range in my current area of residence I would say 27-38. Geographically the area is mostly high rises with a sprinkle of garden style apartments. There are 3 main grocery stores in my neighborhood and not many shopping venues. However, this is just the section of Alexandria I reside in. Overall Alexandria is predominantly family homes and middle class families.

Essex County is located in the North eastern part of new jersey. The history of Essex county dates back to 1666 when 30 families from Connecticut established settlement along the banks of Passaic river. Essex County was officially established in 1682 by east jersey legislature. Essex County is 129.631 square miles. The Geopolitical communities are designed by natural or human made boundaries (Maurer and Smith, 2009). It holds community safer for the residents and the governing body.