Community Health Nursing Assessment - Research Paper Example

Community Health Nursing Assessment

• Description of the Community

The Bronx is a locality that is found in the New York City. It is one of the boroughs of the city. The research focuses on the Bronx Community Board 12 area. The African-American community is the largest in the Bronx Community Board 12. The total population of the area is 149,077. The African-Americans comprise 65.9% of the population. The other significant community in the area is the White-American community at 10%. 15.3% of the population comprises the Asian Americans and the Pacific Islanders. The Hispanic community comprises 18.5%. The Bronx Community Board 12 is a mixed-race area (Department of City Planning, 2013). The African-Americans are major residents of the Bronx Community Board 12 area. They also earn a living by working for the local business organizations and government agencies. Many people are entrepreneurs and artists who earn a living from engaging in various economic and entertainment activities. The Bronx Community Board 12 is a local government area of the Bronx. The community has several neighborhoods; for example, Beychester, Edenwald, Woodlawn, and Williamsbridge. The community is separated from other areas of the Bronx by geographical boundaries determined by the local government. The community area is surrounded by other local government units and roads; for instance, Van Cortlandt Park, Jarome Avenue, Adee Avenue, New England Thruway, Gun Hill Road, and Westchester County (Department of City Planning, 2013). The community assessment that is being analyzed is the access to health services in the area. The windshield survey aims at determining the health facilities and health services that are available in the Bronx Community Board 12. The purpose of the research is to determine the strategies of improving the access to healthcare services and programs in the Bronx Community Board 12.

• Community Assessment

In 2010, the number of births was 2,079. This shows an annual birth rate of 13.9 for every 1000 individuals. The females are more in the community at 55.1%, while the males comprise 44.9%. The elderly have a high death rate because they are vulnerable. The functioning of their body if poor and they have a weak immunity system. Bronx community board 12 is a multi-ethnic society. However, the dominant community is the African-American that comprises 65.9% of the population (Department of City Planning, 2013). There is a significance suicide level in the community due to insufficient income in the households. The law enforcement officers are adequate because they patrol all the streets in the community during the day and at night. The majority of the residents communicate using mobile phones. There are both low-income and high-income housing in the community. The town water supply is reliable. All houses are connected to the water supply and sewage system. The natural disaster potential is low. However, street fights between rival youth gangs occur regularly. There is an elected local government that manages the community. The majority of the people speak American English. There are several public junior and high schools that offer education services to the children. Community colleges are also available to offer higher education. The majority of the residents are employees of the companies and government agencies in the area. A good number of residents also earn a living through entrepreneurship. The two major family types in the community are single-parent households and nuclear families. Most of the residents are Catholic and Protestant Christians. The rail and road transport in the area is reliable. The people receive goods and services from diverse business organizations in the community. The nutritional level is adequate because of the presence of the vegetables and fruits markets and shops that sell food products. The businesses that sell tobacco and alcohol products are found in the area. This implies high levels of usage of harmful products. The main leisure activities are sports, music, and film entertainment. There are several health centers in the area that offer general health services (Department of City Planning, 2013).

• Health Topic

The health topic that is studied in the research is access to health services in the Bronx Community Board 12 area. Health access is an important aspect of the Healthy People 2020 program. However, the achievement of the Healthy People 2020 objectives is challenging due to limited access to the healthcare services within the community (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2014). The healthcare access is limited because of various issues in the community. The first issue is the high costs of medical care. The health sector of the United States is experiencing a rising cost of medical care. The medications are expensive to purchase and the healthcare services provided in the health facilities have high fees. A significant percentage of the people in the Bronx Community Board 12 have modest incomes. They come from the low-income households. They cannot afford to pay for the expensive medical services and procedures; for example, surgeries, dental care, and cancer care. The health professionals also charge high fees for medical consultations. The residents of the community are discouraged from seeking medical advice and examinations if the consultation fees are prohibitive (Andersen et al., 2014).

The second issue that limits the access to healthcare services is the insufficient number of health institutions in the Bronx Community Board 12. The area does not have a specialist facility for managing the common health conditions like cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. Most health centers offer general health services. For specialist medical attention, the patients are referred to health institutions outside the community. The community does not have a university that offers training for the health professionals. The individuals who prefer to further their knowledge in the health or medical field must seek admissions in learning institutions located in other parts of the country (Bonevski et al., 2014). The community does not have a research center that studies the health challenges in the community. It is, therefore, challenging to determine the health needs of the population.

The health insurance coverage in the Bronx Community Board 12 is low. Most insurance companies charge high fees for the health insurance service. Most residents of the community are wage earners. They earn daily incomes which are almost equal to the minimum wage. They cannot afford insurance services because they have insufficient disposable income. To worsen the situation, the insurance companies charge high registration and subscription fees to the people who have serious health conditions like obesity, low and high blood pressure, and cancer. The elderly individuals are also charged high fees by the health insurance companies. Efforts should be made to make the health insurance services affordable to most members of the Bronx Community Board 12 (Hao et al., 2013).

Insufficient health resources limit the access of healthcare services in the Bronx Community Board 12. The health professionals who work in the health facilities in the area are few. They cannot serve the population of 149,077 individuals effectively. The health workers have a high work burden and this reduces the quality of services that they provide to the residents of the Bronx community. The specialist health staff and the research experts are insufficient in number. Most health institutions get health experts from the other parts of New York to address the health problems that exist in the community. For example, the health centers have consultant surgeons, pediatricians, oncologists, and optometrists who are sourced from the major health institutions located in different areas of the New York State. The financial resources available for health in the Bronx Community Board 12 are not adequate. The health institutions owned by the local government have limited financial budgets. These hospitals and health centers, therefore, cannot afford to hire enough specialist staff to provide care to patients who have major health conditions. The technologies used by most health centers are not advanced. The existing health technologies in the community cannot be used to perform complex medical research like genetic engineering or sensitive surgeries.

• Available Resources

The community has resources that can be used to improve the access of the health services. One resource is the sufficient number of high school students and graduates who can be advised to pursue careers in the medical and health sciences. Developing the human resource capacity is an effective strategy of enhancing the access to healthcare services in the communities. The demand for health staff is high. The youths should be informed about the existing need for health professionals, so that they pursue studies that lead to careers in the health sector (Andersen et al., 2014). The local government should be advised to prioritize healthcare funding in the annual or periodic budgets. It is the responsibility of the elected officials to ensure that sufficient finances are availed to improve the health status of the Bronx Community Board 12 population. Money should be allocated to building new health centers and to expand the existing facilities so that they provide specialist medical services. Another resource that is available in the community is good transport network. The area is served adequately by good roads and light rail systems to improve the movement of patients and health staff from the homes to the health centers. Public transport is affordable to most members of the community. The area also has a good information and communication technology infrastructure. There is high-speed internet connection that improves the communication between the health stakeholders who are located in different areas. For example, the patient can seek health advice from a medical specialist who is located in another state of country. The Bronx Community Board 12 has effective water and sewerage companies that improve the sanitation of the area. The companies ensure that all houses are connected to clean and reliable water supply network to ensure that the hygiene condition of the population is high. The federal and state political leadership are determined to improve the health access rate in the community. This is through developing policies that improve the delivery of health services (Hao et al., 2013). Presently, there is the Obama Care program that aims at ensuring sufficient health insurance access by people from the low-income households.

• Health Interventions and Solutions

There are several strategies that can be used to address the health problem experienced in the Bronx Community Board 12. These strategies aim at improving the access of medical services by members of the society. The high cost of medical care can be addressed by ensuring that people in the society benefit from affordable health insurance. The political and civil society leadership must assist people to enroll for affordable health programs like the Obama Care. The federal and the state government should subsidize the cost of medication and health services. For example, the consultation fees in public health facilities should be withdrawn. The patients should be advised to use generic drugs that are equally effective and more affordable than the branded drugs. The health institutions can be improved in the Bronx Community Board 12 to improve healthcare access. The federal and local governments should provide incentives that motivate investors to set-up private health institutions. These incentives may include tax-free income for a stated period of time. The local government should develop a major referral hospital that offers specialist services to the patients within their locality. The referral hospital should also have health experts who perform research studies that address the healthcare needs of the local population (Andersen et al., 2014). The health resources available in the community can be improved. The administrators of the local health institutions should provide a good work environment that attracts health staff. The remuneration should be competitive and the health workers should have access to training opportunities to improve their competencies. The specialist professionals should be attracted using sponsored research programs. The research studies will enable the specialist health professionals to develop effective treatment and care methods for the local population. The health institutions should also seek financing from financial institutions and sponsoring organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Sufficient financing is important in acquiring human and technological resources that are critical in the delivery of medical services (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2014).

The government can address the health problem by developing policies that improve healthcare access. For example, the government can offer financial incentives to motivate investors to develop private health centers. The families should provide effective home care for patients. They should ensure that the patient takes the medication in time. The individuals should take care of their health by undertaking regular medical examinations. Conditions like cancer, HIV/AIDS, and obesity can be managed if detected early (Bonevski et al., 2014). The health system should have an affordable health insurance that improves access to medical services; for example the Obama Care insurance platform. The educational facilities should encourage many students to pursue studies in healthcare. This is because there is a huge demand for health professionals at the community and national level. Most health institutions offer competitive remuneration to the health workers.