Sentinel City Action Report PDF

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Sentinel City Action Report Sentinel City Demographics According to American Sentinel City University 2020 (1), the virtual Sentinel City has a total population of 663,862 residents of which 49.9% are female. The city populace that identify as one ethnic race compromise 80.6% as white, 31.5% Hispanic/Latino and African Americans make up 10.4% of the population. The largest age group in this virtual city is 18 to 65. The under five year populace is 7.4%, under eighteen 21.7% and 65 or over make up 10.5% of the city’s population. The median income of Sentinel City is $49,091 with 18.9% of the population living below the poverty level. The city is comprised of four neighborhoods: Nightingale Square, Acer Tech Center, Industrial Heights and Casper Park District. Nightingale Square has a population of 103,974 made up of 81.3% white and 3.7% Hispanic/Latino. 2.4% of this neighborhood are under five years old, 5.7% under 18 and 13.9% are 65 or older. The average median income is $26,950 while 0.7% of people in Nightingale Square are not insured however, 3.5% of people here are under 65 and disabled. Acer Tech Center has a population of 168,390, 70.2% identify as white, 13.7% identify as Hispanic/Latino. 4.1% are under 5 years old, 7.0% are under 18 and 19.8% are 65 years or older. The median income is $166.300. Those under 65 and disable compromise 6.7% of the population here and 1.5% are not insured. Industrial Heights has a population of 38,855. 46.8% of this area identifies as Hispanic/Latino and 13.1% are African American. 1.9% are under five years old, 20.8% are under 18 years and 0.9% are 65 years or older. The median income is $24,672. Those under 65b years and disabled are 12.9% of this area and 37.5% are not insured. Casper Park has a population of 352,643 with 63% identifying as white, 24% are Hispanic/Latino. 1.9% are under 5 years, 33.8% are under 18, 6.5% are 65 years or older. The median income is $80,134. 6.8% are under 65 years and disabled and 22.7% are not insured. Neighborhood/Safety Assessment

I used this tool while riding the bus or walking about the different areas of the city. I did not observe significant industrial air pollution. I did note that Industrial Park had an abandoned car on the street with parts falling off it into the street. A motorcyclist passed my bus and I saw that he was not wearing a helmet. Several building were in poor repair throughout Sentinel City with barred or boarded windows and garbage lining the building. Several building had fencing with razor wire on the street front limiting access to the sidewalks while some had no trespassing signs. One such building in Industrial Park had barrels inside the fencing with the international symbol for hazardous material. There were also several electrical boxes on the street in Industrial Heights, which create more safety concerns. Concrete barriers blocked the street and cars had parked in front of them creating more hazards on the roadway. Industrial Heights and Casper Park had stray dogs, but I noticed dog walkers in Nightingale Square and Acer Tech Center. According to the Sentinel City Healthcare System, the following are the percentages of the population using drugs last year: 24%, alcohol use is 36%, marijuana use 12%, cocaine use 5%, heroin use 7%, methamphetamine use 10% prescription drug abuse. City hall documents that the EMS response time in Sentinel City is 7.46 minutes, fire response 6.33 minutes, advanced life support response time 7.54 minutes and time to shock response time is 6.37 minutes. The Police Department reports that the Sentinel City crime rate is 3,605.3 per 100,000 and the violent crime rate is 311.1 per 100,000. Warrant arrests make up 23% of the common arrests last year, battery arrests made up 17%, and controlled substance arrests 16%, reckless conduct and public intoxication were each 6% of last year’s most common arrests. The police department calculations for gang-related crime last year include 100 for aggravated assault, 40 gang-related robberies, 38 gang-related simple assaults and 20 gang-related homicides.

Windshield Survey My observations were recorded while riding the bus or walking about the city on foot. Sentinel City is an urban community. Brick and mortar make up the majority of buildings, which appear to be connected and range from one to five stories. I noted only one fire escape on my tour, very concerning for fire safety. There were signs for condominiums, apartments and studio living throughout the city as well as a senior living facility. Casper Park and Industrial Park appear more derelict compared to Acer Tech Center and Nightingale Square with debris, garbage and a lower socioeconomic appearance. There was graffiti on buildings throughout the city with trash outside of many building on the sidewalk. There was police car on patrol in Nightingale Square but I noted several police officers on foot in Industrial Heights where I also noted a tavern beer sign. There was visible heat/air conditioning units in the city. There was very little green space in the city. Industrial Heights had a small green space surrounded on two sides by buildings with broken or boarded windows. There were trees planted in cutouts of the sidewalk throughout the city. Industrial Park has a playground with a diverse group of children playing however; it did not appear have a grass substrate. The School District is next to the playground and groups of uniformed students were crossing the street with the help of a crossing guard, a school bus waited for them to cross at the stoplight. It appears that the elevated rail system separated the four neighborhoods, but only Acer Tech Center had visible signage to separate it from other neighborhoods. There were two Bean Coffee establishments, which were both very busy. The Casper Park establishment had adults with small children congregating outside while adults patronized the Acer Tech Center site. I saw many Italian restaurants in the city. Joe’s grocery is located in Nightingale Square and had many customers chatting outside. Nightingale Square also had a pharmacy, corner store, gas station, and dental office. There is also a Sentinel City Museum coming soon to this neighborhood.

The Sentinel City Healthcare System is located in Acer Tech Center, which also has a barbershop, a fruit/veggie stand, a business center, the Historic Hotel, and Lily’s restaurant where families were enjoying the al fresco dining. Casper Park had customers eating from street vendors, a bookstore, fine art gallery, donut shop, sushi restaurant and two check cashing businesses. There were people waiting at bus stops throughout the city, but I also saw bicyclists, many pedestrians, and dog walkers out. There were a few cars driving with many more cars parked along the city streets. The people I observed outside were very diverse especially in Acer Tech Center and Industrial Heights. Nightingale Square had the fewest people outside for observation. Acer Tech Center is home to the Interfaith Church and its Soup Kitchen where long lines of diverse people were waiting for service, these include the physically compromised using wheelchairs and crutches. I saw two houses of worship, the Interfaith Church and what appears to be a Mosque. There was a peaceful protest about taxation at city hall. There were billboards in the city promoting vaccinations and smoking cessation/alternatives as well as a billboard for a Jazz radio station. Scavenger Hunt City Hall offers adoption assistance, youth independent living services, healthcare assistance, WIC and SNAP benefits for women and children, the elderly, low income and disabled persons. The Parks and Recreation department offer fitness programs, swimming lessons, summer camp for kids. The city healthcare system offers prescription assistance, dentistry and vision programs, emergency services, therapy programs, medical advocates, senior transportation, elder abuse prevention program, meals on wheels, and medical advocates. The Interfaith Church offers emergency food program, food assistance USDA commodity program as well as commodity supplemental food program. The largest percentages of citizens served are the homeless at 64% of clients. The Soup Kitchen, affiliated with Interfaith Church,

offers food to low income families, the homeless as well as veterans. The Better Health Clinic offer contraception servicesi, STI services, health screenings and preventative care. The Affordable Housing Project offer low-income housing based on income levels, renting studios, and one or two bedroom apartments. Data Analysis Sentinel City’s neighborhoods may not be clearly demarcated; however, it was easy to differentiate between the higher median incomes levels of Nightingale Square and Acer Tech Center from the lower median income neighborhoods of Industrial Park and Casper Park District. As I moved into the more impoverished areas, I noted no medical facilities, the residents stated their diets are not healthful and they did not exercise in any form other than walking. Sentinel City, being an urban environment, does not have the green spaces to allow people to exercise to achieve good health. Top Three Problems for Sentinel City The three problems that persevered throughout my tour of Sentinel City were sexually transmitted diseases, environmental quality and physical environment, and promotion of physical activity secondary to lack of outdoor recreational activities. The Better Health Clinic reports 71% of chlamydia diagnosis were aged 15-24 and 58% of gonorrhea was the same age group, followed by HPV at 49%. Healthy People 2020 state, “There are approximately 20 million new STD infections each year, almost half of them are you people aged 15 to 24.” The Better Health Clinic offers classes about sexually transmitted disease but apparently, the classes are not being utilized. This could be due to cultural beliefs or simply the residents are unaware that they are offered. The lack of outdoor recreational areas was bothersome as well. I did see people playing on the tennis courts and children at the one playground but I did not observe any other reasonable places to get

outdoor exercise for the citizens. The one green space I saw was overgrown with weeds and brush to the point a prison work crew was sent there in an attempt to clean it up. It was surrounded on two sides by derelict buildings with boarded or broken windows as well as graffiti. The Park and Recreation Board cite a major complaint in the parks was crime not an ideal place to play with your kids or dog. Healthy People 2020 claim, “An improved quality of life can be increased with fitness and activity.” (healthypeople.gov, 2019). The garbage and graffiti as well as sidewalks with fencing around abandoned builds noted throughout Sentinel City is a detriment of health according to Health People 2020, “The physical environment can harm health when it exposes individuals and communities to toxic substances, irritants, infectious agents, stress-producing factors (e.g., noise) and physical hazards. Exposures can occur in homes, schools, worksites, through transportation systems, and in other settings. Physical barriers in these settings can present safety hazards or impediments to persons with disabling Conditions, (healtypeople.gov2010).

Community Resources The Mayor Franklin Hill and Julia Benjamin representative of district 3 both cite concern for the dilapidated state of the buildings within Sentinel City as well as the garbage found throughout their lovely hometown. Utilizing their combined resources in conjunction with Buzz Radio broadcasting the plan to clean up the city, citizens, especially the homeless, would be motivated to help make a difference. The Parks and Recreation Department could ride the coattail of that movement to improve the park, playground and tennis courts, only 10% of their budget las year went toward improvements. All of this would not only improve the appearance of but also the health of the residents of Sentinel City.

Primary Prevention Social Detriments of Health Disability and Health as well as homelessness could be tackled using this plan. The sidewalks would be accessible to the handicapped, abandoned buildings would become homeless shelters where job training and education can be provided. The parks and recreational areas would be inviting citizens to get the physical activity needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Community pride would skyrocket and social inequalities would lessen.

Reflection This was not an easy task for me but it has allowed me to grasp the big picture. Frank observation of what is without an agenda allowed me to look at Sentinel City without any agenda. Then using the resources available, I learned to piece together what is needed to make a difference. Although I need to hone and expand this knowledge, I hope that I can use this as a base for my future endeavors and make a difference for everyone.

References (2010). Retrieved December 12, 2020, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/sites/default/files/SocietalDeterminantsHealth.pdf Sexually Transmitted Diseases. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2020, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/sexually-transmitted-diseases UCertify. (n.d.). Sign In. Retrieved December 13, 2020, from https://wgu.ucertify.com/?func=ebook

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