Sentinel City Community Health

Task 1 C228 V3

Melody Bennett RN

Western Governors University

 6/19/2019

B. Needs Assessment:  

Demographics

Sentinel City is a large urban area with a population of 663,862 and a median household income of $49,031.00. The age percentage break down of the population is as follows. Children under 5years of age make up 7.4% of the population. People under 18 years of age make up 21.7% of the population. Finally, people over 65 years of age make up 10.5% of the population. The city is a fairly diverse community. The ethnic makeup of the city is 80.6% Caucasian, 10.4% African American, 2.0% Asian, 0.2% Hawaiian, 3.1% Hispanic, 2.0% Native American and 3.1% of the population is two or more races. (Nursing Simulation Generator, 2016).

The City is divided into 4 neighborhoods. The largest neighborhood is the Casper Park District with population of 352,643. 22.7% of the citizens in the Casper Park District are without health insurance and the median household income is $80,134.00. Followed by the Acer Tech Center neighborhood, it has a population of 168,390. In Acer Tech Center the median income is the second highest of the 4 districts at $ 166,300 and only 1.5% of its residence are without health insurance. Next, is Nightingale Square, its population is 103,974 with only 0.7% of people under 65 years of age without health insurance. The median household income is the highest at $269,550.00. Finally, there is the Industrial Heights neighborhood with the smallest population of 38,855 and the lowest median household income at $24,672. It also has the highest percentile of people without medical insurance at 37.5%. (Nursing Simulation Generator, 2016).

Neighborhood Safety Assessment

        While traveling through Sentinel City I noticed several safety concerns.  I noticed numerous stray dogs, graffiti on many of the buildings as well as buildings in disrepair. There are large amounts of trash and debris throughout the neighborhood which seem to attract rats and could be a cause of disease. There was also a burned out car and a crime scene with a small police presence that appeared to be a robbery.  The EMS response time is 7.46 minutes which is about average compared to other US cities. Nightingale Square appears to be the most affluent part of the city. Joes Grocery is located in this area but they have a high incidence of food borne illness with their fish and shellfish. (Nursing Simulation Generator, 2016).

There is a high incidence of alcohol and tobacco use within the city. Tobacco use is at 24% and Alcohol is at 26% of the population. Marijuana is also popular at 12%. There appears to be a homelessness problem within the city as well as some gang activity. These two issues as well as the drug and alcohol use may contribute to the crime rates of the city. The overall crime rate is 3605 crimes per 100,000 people and the violent crime rate 311.1 per 100,000. These crimes include battery, warrants, controlled substance, trespassing, reckless conduct, and public intoxication, robbery, rapes, murders and aggravated assaults. Last year there were 100 aggravated assaults perpetrated by gang members. As Officer Rodney Cooper states about the crimes and crime rates around the city, “Nightingale Square has the lowest crime rate, while Industrial Heights and Casper Park have the higher crime rates. Most common crimes throughout the city in all neighborhoods are bicycle theft, property damage, shoplifting or drunk and disorderly conduct. Here are the crime indexes for each neighborhood. Nightingale Square gets 93 out of 100, Industrial Heights 42, Casper Park 57, and Acer Tech 89. As you can see Nightingale Square is definitely our safest neighborhood.” (Nursing Simulation Generator, 2016).

Scavenger Hunt

        Sentinel City offers the following community resources to its residents. The Parks and Recreation Department is located in Nightingale Square. They offer the following services: swimming lessons, nutrition classes, gardening courses, kids summer programs, city sports leagues, adult fitness classes and after school programs. The most common complaints about the parks are the homeless population loitering there, stray animals and park cleanliness. The Health Care System

Windshield Survey

Casper Park offers a senior living center and the affordable housing project. There were also bill boards promoting flu vaccines as well as a produce stand with local citizens gathered around. I also noticed prisoners on a work release program cleaning up trash and debris.  Acer Tech Center appears to be a nicer part of town. City Hall is located in this neighborhood as well as the community center and the Health Care Center. There is a small protest outside of city hall about taxes with a small police presence but it appears peaceful.

B1. Data Analysis: Interpretation of Data

Link the health risks and needs evident in the data/information you collected from section B (4 assessment tools).

In this area your goal is to link the health risks and needs evident in the data you collected.  For example, from charts under the tools, spinning/floating “I’s” and/or your observations. 

Identify 4-5 health concerns that are significant to you as the nurse assessing the city. Interpret and analyze your observations coming from your OWN perspectives; utilizing the epidemiological variables that you collected in section B.