Community Vitality At University Medical Clinic

Assessing a community is an integral part of Community Health Nursing because it leads to an understanding of a community’s overall health status, including its strengths and weaknesses. In turn, the assessment findings can be used to influence positive change in the community and improve the population’s health. One strategy used to assess a population’s health needs is performing a windshield survey. A windshield survey is typically conducted from a moving vehicle and includes a systematic observation of the general community. This paper includes the findings of a windshield survey I completed of Heber, AZ as well as my overall impression of the survey, and personal biases that I need to consider.

The Houston Area Survey shows how the city of Houston has progressed over the span of thirty-five years into an immensely diverse city that the rest of America will come to look like in the future. The city has grown from being predominately Anglo to having a nice population balance between Anglos, Latinos, African Americans, and Asians. In terms of Latinos in Houston, the study places emphasis on the differences between the first generation who are foreign-born, second generation who were born in the United States with immigrant parents, and third-generation Latinos who were born in America with American parents. The study explores the differences between the generations on their socioeconomic status including education levels and

As a resident in Fresh Meadows for twenty years, conducting a community health assessment was an opportunity to learn more about the neighborhood. Located in the northeastern section of New York 's Queens County, this small town was first named “Flushing Meadows” before the American Revolution. This was due to large areas of wet meadows that were also partially located in Flushing. Nonetheless, Fresh Meadows has become home to many with its diverse community in cultures and ages, and activities for the local.

“A healing hospital is a place characterized by thousands of small and wonderful things and a few big ones. At the center is love. More than anything else, supports a strong culture of caring. It expresses the deep passion of both patients and caregivers” (Chapman, 2003). Healing hospitals focus on patient-centered care.

In my research of Austin, Texas I found out several interesting facts regarding the demographic makeup of the city. For example, the racial breakdown by race is whites 68%, blacks 8%, Hispanic are at 35% and foreign-born 18% The makeup is obviously different when you compare Austin to the US as a whole, however, it is interesting to see the “total picture”. The following is the breakdown for the US whites 72%, black 12.6%, Hispanic 17%, and foreign-born 13%.

Clearly, the individualistic western society has taken a toll upon the populace, in such a way as to render certain members of the social order helpless in matters of health and wellbeing (Peralta 329). A degree in sociology is not required to note significant health differences amongst the various SES’s of the population. According to information from the CDC in conjunction with per capita income by state and county, the wealthiest counties within the wealthiest of states, generally, held the lowest population of obese individuals ("Obesity and Overweight…”np) ("State and County…”np). Such information proves only to refute Peralta’s claims that an unequal allocation of resources perpetuates and unequal society. Commensurate to the given socioeconomic status of certain groups are the variances within racial and gender based identities. For instance, according to statistics offered by Peralta, the educated, wealthy, white woman will weigh substantially less than the average African American woman (Peralta 334-335). This can be attributed to the variances in aesthetic ideal within the different cultures.

A Windshield Survey is an analysis of the community through the windshield of a vehicle, there are no interviews, only what one can see with the naked eye. This survey showed Collier County is home to a wide range of aggregates, some who live in the boarded up homes in rural Immokalee and those who live in multimillion dollar estates along the beaches of Naples, and everybody in between. As one would expect, there are many differences in the services offered between the rural and urban parts of the county. In the cities, there are numerous hospitals, urgent cares, and specialty physician clinics lining the streets. There are gyms, golf courses, and organic food markets around every corner. The streets are filled with fancy cars and golf carts to match this luxurious lifestyle. Along with these upscale restaurants and facilities, are more middle class amenities, such as pizza-by-the-slice eateries and your standard grocery stores, such as Wal-Mart and

|1.1 Analyse reasons why it may be necessary to raise awareness of health issues? |

One of the most important parts of a community assessment is identifying the community’s health disparities in order to properly intervene and improve the health of the community. After conducting the windshield survey in Germantown, the top three health disparities discovered included: knowledge deficit regarding nutrition, exposure to toxic substances and physical hazards related to old housing, and lack of access to recreational space. Many houses in Germantown were built before the 1970s, which indicates that many people are exposed to lead-based paint, in particular the young children, who are more susceptible to experiencing negative health effects. Another prominent health disparity was the lack of access to recreational space. Through

As you know Community Health Centers serve a vital role in providing primary care, dental, behavioral, pharmacy, vision and a variety of complementary services to our most vulnerable patients and communities. Health centers generate millions of dollars both in economic impact and overall cost-savings to the health care system.

Spotlights seem to be a hot commodity on Wyndham Drive, as each home featured them. Some aimed at the side of homes, others at trees. Almost every single house was built with stone incorporated into the exterior, yet anoth- er indicator that a lot of time and money was put into assuring that it would be easily known the owners had spent them. Taking into consideration the information gathered about said homes, a variety of inferences can be made about the personal identity of those who live in them. For starters, they have a decent amount of money; such upkeep on a home is not cheap. With a median household income in the $70,000 in their city, it can easily be seen by looking at these homes (“Bettendorf, Iowa") Secondly, they invest a lot of time in how they appear to other people. The outside of a home is the first thing someone sees when they stop by or pass through a street, so good first impressions are something homeowners take very seriously. In comparison, travel to North Gaines street in Davenport, Iowa. The homes that line this street are small. Front lawns are clut- tered with weeds, patchy grass, and various other children’s toys. Sidewalks are over- grown with weeds, and outdoor landscapes are few and far between. White siding is the home of choice, likely due to its relatively low cost. On many homes, however, that sid- ing is chipped and peeling. Windows are lined by wood, its chips matching that of the siding. Front doors

Escarce, J., Morales, L., & Rumbaut, R., (2006). The Health Status and Health Behaviors of

Alpine Village Clinic is located in a winter resort near the city of Aspen, Colorado. Although open year around, it is mostly a seasonal business since the bulk of patients seen at the clinic walk in during the winter months of December to March, when skiing is in full swing and pertaining injuries are common. The doctors thought about closing the clinic during the summer months, however running the clinic for a portion of the year is inefficient, and in addition, there seems to be a sufficient summer demand for the clinic’s services. The two doctors who run the clinic are Dr. James Peterson, who is an orthopedist and Dr. Amanda Cook, who is an internist. Dr. Cook usually handles all the financial work for the clinic (besides payroll

The Windshield Survey and aspects of the Community and Population Health Scavenger Hunt harvested reason to look beyond the surface of this picturesque town. Using the Windshield Survey as a method to see McKinney from a different perspective allowed time to make observations about the community that have been overlooked for years going through the motions of life. Some of the reflections made by using this survey include that the town is very well kept, shops and restaurants surround nice residential areas, and many people were out walking, running, or riding bicycles which supported why McKinney has the highest ranking for overall health in the state of Texas. Personal observations of the community in conjunction with visiting one of the eight local Fire/EMS stations and the local hospital allowed development and understanding of the Neighborhood/Community Safety Inventory. In addition to visiting the local fire department, the Community and Population Scavenger Hunt was also used when meeting with the local Emergency Management Director for Collin County and the Medical Director of Emergency Services for the local hospital. Although McKinney is unique in nature, it is not unique in the fact that disaster could strike the community at any time without warning, and may come in form of severe weather, pandemic, hazardous materials or terrorism. Information was

A Windshield Survey was completed for the city of Sandy Lake, a town in Northwestern PA with a population of approximately 13,000 people (Quick Facts Census website, 2012). The purpose of the survey is to identify Meadville’s community health needs. In addition to performing the survey, research was performed online to obtain supplemental demographic data. The research resulted in the following information about Meadville: