Define the community.”
Part One:
Discussion Question:
Please review the course objectives for N492 (as stated in the syllabus). Please write a self-evaluation of your learning in the course and how you have personally met each of the stated course objectives.
Your initial posting should be at least 400 words in length and utilize at least one scholarly source other than the textbook. Please reply to at least two classmates. Replies to classmates should be at least 200 words in length.
Part Two:
Assignment:
Your submission should be a minimum of 2000 words (maximum 2500 words) in length and should completely answer the proposed questions as listed under “Define the community.” You should have a minimum of three (3) references.
APA formatting required and all responses should be combined into a single document for submission. Use the rubric as a guide for the evaluation method of the project. The practice experience project hour log, describing the 20-30 hours (2-4 hours in Module 2, 10-14 hours in Module 7, and 8-12 hours in Module 8), must be submitted separately with your essay.
(DEFINE THE COMMUNITY)
Defining the Community
Your community should be within a specifically designated geographic location.
One must clearly delineate the following dimensions before starting the process of community assessment:
• Describe the population that is being assessed?
• What is/are the race(s) of this population within the community?
• Are there boundaries of this group? If so, what are they?
• Does this community exist within a certain city or county?
• Are there general characteristics that separate this group from others?
• Education levels, birth/death rates, age of deaths, insured/uninsured?
• Where is this group located geographically…? Urban/rural?
• Why is a community assessment being performed? What purpose will it serve?
• How will information for the community assessment be collected?
Assessment
After the community has been defined, the next phase is assessment. The following items describe several resources and methods that can be used to gather and generate data. These items serve as a starting point for data collection. This is not an all-inclusive list of resources and methods that may be used when a community assessment is conducted.
The time frame for completion of the assessment may influence which methods are used. Nonetheless, these items should be reviewed to determine what information will be useful to collect about the community that is being assessed. It is not necessary to use all of these resources and methods; however, use of a variety of methods is helpful when one is exploring the needs of a community.
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.
If the population that is being assessed is located within a specific setting, it may be best to contact that agency to retrieve specific information about that population.
The following resources provide a broad overview of the demographics of a city, county, or state:
American Fact Finder—Find population, housing, and economic and geographic data for your city based on U.S. Census data
State and County Quick Facts—Easy access to facts about people, business, and geography, based on U.S. Census data
Obtain information about a specific city or county on these useful websites:
www.epodunk.com and www.city-data.com
Information from Government Agencies
Healthy People 2020—this resource is published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It identifies health improvement goals and objectives for the country to be reached by the year 2020
National Center for Health Statistics—this agency is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; this website provides statistical information about the health of Americans
National Vital Statistics System
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—The CDC 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
Federal agencies with statistical programs
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 state health department website.
State and local health departments provide information related to vital statistics for the community.
Other Data Sources
America’s Health Rankings—this website provides information about various health indicators for each state
Other relevant data sources may be found by conducting an Internet search related to the topic that is being examined through the community assessment.
After data are collected from various sources, it is important to review the information and to identify assets and areas for improvement in the community by comparing local data (if available) versus state and national data. This will facilitate organization of the information that has already been obtained and will provide direction for the next step of the process.