Department of Nursing
HIN 269
                    Assignment

Purpose:  To identify one of the health topic areas from Healthy People 2020 for the community in which you live or work, and analyze the variables that may have an impact on this health indicator. You MUST get instructor approval for the Community you have chosen before starting the paper.

COMMUNITY CHOSEN: flint michigan

1. Describe the community you have chosen and why you chose it and the communitys boundaries. 5%

2. Conduct an assessment of the community using the guide attached    20%

3. Once you have collected data from your windshield assessment, select one health topic area from Healthy People 2020 that is a problem in your community. Discuss the topic chosen, and how this problem actually or potentially affects the health of your chosen community. 20%

4. What resources are available in the community to assist the residents with the   
      Problem (health topic area)? 20%

5. What primary, secondary and or tertiary level interventions you as a Community Health Nurse would propose as solutions to resolving the health problem (health topic area)? 
Discuss the role/responsibility of each of the following in the resolution of the problem: the government, families, individuals, health systems and educational facilities.  25%

6. Format (APA format, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and proper use of outside references) 10%. References must be evidenced based and from reputable medical or nursing journals and textbooks. References MUST not be older than 10 years.

This paper draws on information you already will have about the community in which you live or work. It is not expected to be a lengthy paper (no more than 10 pages excluding cover page and reference list). Please be specific and do not be repetitive.

This information must be typed in the format of a formal written paper using proper grammar, punctuation, spelling and references. The APA format must be used.  Papers must be prepared in Word format. Do not use another type of word processing.   
Paper must be submitted through Blackboard under Safe Assign. Do NOT EMAIL to instructor. PDF versions of paper will not be accepted.

Department of Nursing
Community Assessment Guide

The Community

Phase One: Defining the Community
Clearly delineate the following dimensions before starting the process of community assessment:
Who is the specific population that is being assessed?
What is the role of this population within the community?
Does this community exist within a certain neighborhood?
Are there geographic boundaries that separate this group from others?
Why is a community assessment being performed?
What purpose will it serve?

Data Gathering (collecting information that already exists)
Demographics of the Community
When demographic data are collected, it is useful to collect data from a variety of levels so comparisons can be made. And include the most up to date data.
The following resources provide a broad overview of the demographics of a city, county, or state: This is just a list but you can search other data sources.
American Fact FinderFind population, housing, and economic and geographic data for your city based on U.S. Census data:
State and County Quick FactsEasy access to facts about people, business, and geography, based on U.S. Census data:
http://factfinder2.census.gov
http://quickfacts.census.gov
Epodunk: The Power of PlaceObtain information from the U.S. Census Bureau about a specific city, county, town, or community, and links to other useful websites:
http://www.epodunk.com
U.S. Census Bureau:
http://www.census.gov

Information from Government Agencies
Healthy People 2020This resource is published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It identifies health improvement goals and objectives for the country to reach by the year 2020:
http://www.healthypeople.gov/
National Center for Health StatisticsThis agency is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Centers website provides statistical information about the health of Americans:
http://www.cdc.gov/NCHS
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)The CDCs website contains a large amount of information related to the health of the American population. The search engine within this website can be used to find relevant information:
http://www.cdc.gov
Federal agencies with statistical programs:
http://www.fedstats.gov/agencies
Every state in the United States has its own specific health-improvement plan and goals that are based on the Healthy People 2020 document. This information may be available on the states health department website.
State and local health departments provide information related to vital statistics for the community.

Other Data Sources
Assess NowDeveloped through a joint project between the Washington State Department of Health and the University of Washington Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, this site contains links to a wide variety of Internet resources for all 50 states:
http://www.assessnow.info/
Americas Health RankingsThis website provides information about various health indicators for each state:
http://www.americashealthrankings.org
Other relevant data sources may be found by conducting an Internet search related to the topic being examined through the community assessment.

Participant Observation
By spending time observing the population, information can be learned about the interactions within the community including the following:
Developmental level of the population
Effectiveness of peer-to-peer interactions
Respect for peers and others

Informant Interviews
Informants can be people who are familiar with and interact with the population on a regular basis.

Some examples of questions that can be asked of key informants are:
Strengths/assets of the community
Areas of improvement for the community
Concerns of community members
Access to health care

Some examples of key observations to make when assessing the community are:
Condition and age of the homes
Location of parks and other recreational areas
Amount of space between homes and businesses
Neighborhood hangouts
Modes of transportation used
Quality of streets and sidewalks
Stores and other businesses
People out in the community
Cleanliness of the community
Billboards or other media displays
Places of worship
    Safety  in the environment

Topics that should be addressed in the Assessment include the following:
Annual birth rate
Age dynamics
% Males, % Females
Age-specific death rates
Race/ethnicity
Community stressors
Suicide and homicide rates
Adequacy of law enforcement
Communication patterns
Type and adequacy of housing
Water supplies
Disaster potentials
Community government and leadership
Language
Income and education
Employment levels and occupations
Marital status/family composition
Religion
Transportation
Availability of goods and services
Consumption patterns
Nutritional levels
Use of harmful substances (drug use rates, smoking rates, alcohol use rates)
Prevalent leisure activities
Existing health services
Level of health system performance
Availability and adequacy of services
Health care financing
Communitys definition of health and illness