Community Needs Assessment PDF

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I had to assess the needs of my community and offer solutions....

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Community Needs Assessment

Katherine Rodriguez Benjamin Leon School of Nursing, Miami-Dade College NUR 2680L: Community Health Nursing Lab Edna Petit-Homme July 12, 2021

Community Needs Assessment The community focus for this assessment is the zip code 33134, whose primary location is in Miami-Dade County. Its boundaries are contained within Coral Terrace, West Miami, and Coral Gables within area code 786 and 305. The community is made up mainly of the middleclass population compared to other zip codes in Florida. Some community needs for zip code 33134 include barriers to accessing health services access, Covid-19, cancer, diabetes, housing, stroke and heart disease, mental health substance abuse, sexual health, nutrition, and exercise tobacco use (UMiami Health, JHS & Nicklaus Children's hospital, 2020). The role of community health nursing in the area of 33134 includes promoting healthy lifestyles, providing direct care to

2 boost access, and health education on managing chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer conducting continued research to keep improving healthcare. Community Data Zip code 33134 has 40,536 persons as of 2021 demographics constituting 19,029 males and 21,507 females. The highest population ages between 35 to 64 years old make the largest portion of the population at approximately 43% of the population, followed by 75-84 years old, accounting for approximately 18% (Miami Matters, 2021). Hispanics make up the largest ethnicity, estimated at 80%, while non-Hispanics make up 20%. The population is mainly white at 92%, followed by Alaskan natives at 25 and Asians, making up 1.44% (Miami Matters, 2021). The community comprises 17, 151 households and 10, 209 families, with most people having 1 or 2 people per household. The average household income is $113,704, while the median income per household is $74,560 (Miami Matters, 2021). A Windshield survey reveals that the community is well-kept, with fewer individuals walking around, particularly because of coronavirus restrictions. Trolley and bus stops were evidenced alongside busy streets and smaller walking streets, which offers more accessible shops and other neighborhoods. The area has a mix of old and newer buildings, ranging from businesses to apartment complexes. The physical environment is, on average well-kept, with most people driving for routine errands. There are over 20 parks, playgrounds, and gardens in the region, suffering significant spaces for physical engagement. There are also numerous crosswalks, sidewalks, and bike lanes in the regions allowing people to walk, run or ride bikes for exercise as often as possible. The lanes are also well maintained with smooth finishes and not cracked. The zip code is mainly clean with minimal litter. Graffiti is generally illegal in Florida and carries heavy signs, thus very rare in the area. There are, however, signboards and billboards in the community located in convenient places. Soils mainly pollute the community, with water quality averaging at 55 and air quality at 28 against the U.S. average of 58, signifying a high risk for cancer and respiratory health problems. The social systems are in place but unequally distributed. The majority live near a supermarket or grocery store while others live in rural settings living further from groceries, thus low access to food. Access to care remains a significant issue in the zip code, with few urgent clinics, schools, and rehabilitation centers. There are also no general or family practitioner offices, and people have to travel outside their zip code for related treatments. There is, however, an increasing number of primary care providers entering the community to offer primary health care. Analysis The community has significant strengths that help reinforce health for the people. The community has sufficient facilities for physical exercise with playgrounds, parks, and sidewalks, and the water quality is high, thus access to clean water. The top needs that require focusing on in 33134 are access to healthcare services and management of cancer. Healthy People 2020 promotes that access to health care services prevents disease and disability, increases quality of life and life expectancy, and facilitates early disease detection and treatment (Healthy People 2020). Cancer is among the leading causes of death in the community. The prevalence is above the Healthy people 2030 objectives and requires a drop from 20.7 to 15.3 for every 100,000 people (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2021). Recommendations One organization that deals with cancer in the area is Bright Lips, which focuses on cancer patients and family supports. The organization's mission is to help fight against cancer by

3 providing emotional support to families and patients undergoing treatments through recreational activities and gifts. They also promote awareness and support other associate organizations in research. The activities help distract patients and families from focusing on cancer and related treatments, which is depressing. The mission aligns with healthy people 2030 objective CRO1on cancer management to promote the mental and physical quality of life of people living with cancer (Healthy People 2030) Summary The priority needs are improving access to healthcare services and cancer prevention and management. The poor access to health services means that the people have to travel for healthcare which hinders fast access to healthcare resulting in people only seeking care when the health conditions are severe, preventing early detection and promoting poorer health outcomes. In addition, the risk of death with cancer makes the people living with cancer in the community highly susceptible to die, which is a poor outcome in cancer care requiring strategies to improve the quality of care. The nurse thus can help by offering community-based care through services such as ambulatory services and the establishment of community-based clinics. In addition, nurses can help with cancer outcomes by implementing holistic care that cares for the cancer patient's mental, emotional, and physical needs and their families. Reflection Using the windshield survey develops one's outlook on community, making it more holistic. I realized that it is not just the direct-health related factors in the community such as nutrition and water quality that affect or indicate health but also the infrastructure and support for healthy lifestyles. Nursing has a huge role in advocating for community health by influencing infrastructural development, health policies, and the focus of health resources. Some of the opportunities to seek out as a future health care professional are policymaking in health, nonprofit community-based programs leadership, and community health advocate. The role of community health nurses will, without a doubt, expand to include more roles in the community.

References Bright Lips Against cancer Inc. Non-profit overview. Retrieved from https://greatnonprofits.org/org/bright-lips-against-cancer-inc#r_id-436949--user_id556411 Healthy people 2030. Access to health services. Retrieved from https://health.gov/healthypeople/search?query=access%20to%20health%20services&f %5B0%5D=content_type%3Ahealthy_people_objective

4 Healthy People 2030. Cancer overview and objectives. Retrieved from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/cancer Miami Matters (2021). 2021 demographics zip code 33134. Retrieved from http://www.miamidadematters.org/demographicdata?id=10489§ionId=936 U.S. Department of Health (2021). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/DiseasesConditions/ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2021). Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Access to health services. In Healthy People 2030. Retrieved from https://health.gov/healthypeople University Of Miami Health System, Jackson Health System & Nicklaus Children's Health (2020). 2020 Community Health Needs Assessment: Miami-Dade County Florida. Retrieved from https://umiamihealth.org/-/media/UHealth/CHNA/2020-chna-reportmiami-dade-county-fl.ashx...