Community Healthcare Needs Assessment (Essay Sample)

Assessment 2: Community Health Assessment
Name:
Institution:
Community Healthcare Assessment
Windshield survey is a useful survey as it is used to generate an overview of a community or an area of concern in which a health care professional observe an area by use of a vehicle (Capella University, n.d.). Levels of poverty, economic situation, hazards in the community among others are the issues that are normally picked by the windshield survey. The leader nurses need to have the feel of the surrounding population to have an in-depth understanding of what the community requires. The requirements of a community are normally in terms of patient-oriented care (Capella University, n.d). The windshield assessment has some drawbacks such as having hasty judgments without checking the background of the situation or the behind the scenes. The drawbacks can cause problems with change implementations. The healthcare requirements of Jordan city are assessed. The city has a population of 6500 people living both in urban and rural areas (Capella University, n.d.).
There are a plethora of factors that interfere with the delivery of healthcare in the city and affect organizational functioning. At Jordan city’s disposal, there exist two health facilities; Park Nicollet Health Services, which share a common fence with the public library, and the St. Francis Health Center allied to Allina Health (Capella University, n.d.). To add on, there is Oak Terrace Senior Living Centre which provides care to the aged people having aging and memory problems (Capella University, n.d.). The Downtown district of the city has no healthcare centers and only has markets and shopping centers.
Executive Summary
The downtown district of Jordan city is a region of low-income earners as the windshield analysis is suggested. The unavailability of healthcare centers in the downtown district depicts the public health condition of the region. The region boasts of two religious facilities situated in a suitable location for health facilities. The religious facilities, churches, attracts huge congregation with a high turnout rate on the events that occur periodically in it (Capella University, n.d.). There are recreational facilities in Jordan city such as the Jordan Baseball Park which includes a basketball court; a green place for mingling and play soccer known as the Skate Park. The Skate recreation parks are located close to the residential units, frequented by the children during weekends and after school (Capella University, n.d.). There is a lack of healthcare facilities around the heavily populated areas of the city (Capella University, n.d.). The shopping facilities in the area have closed windows and doors, with some having leasing notices and signposts, and dilapidated houses. Old abandoned furniture has its place in the corners of messy lawns and greenery. The area is full of low-income housing structures, with lots of graffiti on the walls of the building and the overpasses. They require healthcare facilities and the establishment of newer grocery markets and shops.
Environmental Analysis
The access to healthcare facilities, the status of income of workers, and the educational status are the social factors that impact the Jordan area (Office of Disease and Health Promotion, n.d.). The economic and social situation of the city worsens the already poor health outcome (Lightfoot et al., 2014). The emergent and preventive care have been limited by not having healthcare facilities around rural areas. The financial situation of the area has made it difficult for funding and developing the proper new healthcare amenities in the rural areas of Jordan city. The rural population has a lower household income, small postsecondary education among the adults, a higher rate of children living in poverty, high mortality rates, and lots of uncovered population under 6 years of age (Association of American Medical College, 2017). The situation in the city provides hurdles along with the development and establishment of healthcare facilities in Jordan city. To get specialties services, people in the area have to travel far and wide (AAMC, 2017).
The area being in a poverty-stricken area and having instability economic-wise, there are inadequate sources of quality food for the residents (ODPHP, n.d.). The area having inadequate buildings for the proper emergency, medical care, and advanced education makes it considered poverty-stricken, with an environmental condition which are negative and higher crime rates (ODPHP, n.d.). The political, cultural, and environmental factors are influenced by social factors (AAMC, 2017). The surrounding areas and the geographical conditions influence the physical environment in the rural area of Jordan city. Political change can bring about change in society, leading the direction and have a hand in the shift of the economy (AAMC, 2017). The cultural issue influences the beliefs of the society and the community culture of the area (AAMC, 2017). Without a change in the economic and the cultural fabric, the rural part of Jordan city will not experience any change. The poverty level needs to be reduced by changing the social and cultural issues of the area.
Conclusions
There is a higher rate of comorbid conditions alongside the highest rate of mortality and morbidity condition in rural are of America (AAMC, 2017). It is difficult to solve the issue of health discrepancies in these rural areas. The expanded resources and healthcare services access is needed in rural areas. The assessments, like the windshield assessment technique, expose the issues in the community, societal social economics status through visual cues, and the priorities that the communities have (Lightfoot et al., 2014). It is through the windshield assessment that we can know the needs that Jordan city has such as proper community healthcare services, better housing conditions, and business improvement in the community. Healthcare gaps can be recognized through the assessment and how the disparity has effects on the growth in the area.
References
Association of American Medical Colleges [AAMC] (2017). Health Disparities Affect Millions in Rural U.S. Communities. Retrieved from: https://news.aamc.org/patient-care/article/health-disparities-affect-millions-rural-us-commun/
Capella University (n.d.). Environmental Analysis and Windshield Survey. Retrieved from: http://media.capella.edu/CourseMedia/MSN6218/vilaHealthEnvironmentalAnalysisWindshieldSurvey/wrapper.asp
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [ODPHP] (n.d.) Healthy People 2020