For this scholarly paper, you will complete a community needs assessment of your zip code/ neighborhood. Utilizing the community assessment components (People, Place/Environment, and Social Systems), address the guidelines listed below:
Describe the Community
People (demographic data and biological, social, and cultural factors)
Place/Environment (physical and environmental factors)
? Analyze the data on your community (the windshield survey information along with any data andstatistics you found).
? Identify your community’s needs and strengths.
NUR2680L Community Needs Assessment QEP Paper TEMPLATE
(Provide the reader with an outline (in narrative form) of what you will accomplish in this paper.)
Introduce the community being assessed (zip code, location, boundaries, type of dwellings). Give a
very brief overview of some of the needs in your community that you discovered as a result of this
study. What could be the role of community health nursing to meet these needs?
Community Data
(Make sure to cite reliable and professional sources- Healthy People, US Census, Miami Matters, etc)
People: Based on your research, discuss the community demographics, social factors, and cultural factors.
This includes who makes up the community, the socio-economic status, and cultural influences. Also
include your observations from the windshield survey.
Environment: Discuss the physical and social environments that can affect health. This includes
discussing available public spaces (parks, playgrounds, gardens) and are the spaces clean and maintained
or littered? Include observations from the windshield survey such as the availability of bike lanes,
streetlights, or sidewalks (are they maintained or cracked.) Other environmental factors to consider are
signs, billboards, and graffiti. Are there concerns with air, water, or noise pollution? Is violence an issue
or does it feel safe?
Social Systems: Discuss the health systems available (hospitals, urgent care, assisted living, pharmacies),
resources (buses/trains, grocery stores, farmers’ markets, places of worship, schools, childcare, food
pantries, fast food vs healthy food options) and services (police, fire, gyms, YMCA, museums, cultural
centers).
Analysis
Based on all the information you have gathered through research and observation, identify a few strengths of
the community. Identify the top 1 or 2 needs that you would recommend focusing on. Discuss why those
needs should be the priority focus. Explain how it relates to a Healthy People topic and goal.
(Remember to cite Healthy People within your paper and in the reference page).
Recommendations
Identify an organization or program within the community that aims to address the need(s) you
have discussed. Present the organization’s mission or vision and discuss how it relates to the
Healthy People goals? Give an example of a specific topic objective that it aims to meet.
(Remember to cite Healthy People within your paper and in the reference page.)
Summary
(Summarize the most important points and draw any final conclusions about topic).
State the priority needs (top 1 or 2) that have been identified by conducting this community needs assessment.
Explain how this need makes the community vulnerable to negative health outcomes and how nurses could
help meet this need.
Reflection
(In this section, you may now begin to write in first person (I, me, my).
Address the following questions in a narrative fashion:
• Explain how learning about a windshield survey and conducting one has affected the way that you
view communities in general or this community specifically.
• How can nursing as a discipline advocate for communities like this to address the needs
identified?
• Identify three opportunities that you as a future health care professional could seek out to become
civically engaged within your community.
• How do you think the role of community health nurses will evolve in the future?
Community Health Assessment
Student Guide
Contents
Demographic Data ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1
Resources …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
Windshield Survey ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
References ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
Demographic Data
Only include information relevant to your paper’s focus.
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Population density
Age
Gender
Income level
Race and ethnicity
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Employment levels
Location
Level of education
Homeownership
Preferences
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Hobbies
Lifestyle
Marriage rates
Death rates
Resources
Health and disease-related statistics
https://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/
Healthy People 2030
https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives
US Demographic Statistics by Zip code:
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219
Community Data: Health and quality of life data indicators
http://www.miamidadematters.org/tiles/index/display?alias=communitydata
City Profiles
moving.com/real-estate/city-profile
City Government Database:
dos.myflorida.com/library-archives/research/florida-information/government/localresources/fl-cities
Map Data Collection by State:
census.gov/programs-surveys/geography.html
Parks and Services by State:
recreation.gov/search
Air and Water Quality by State:
www3.epa.gov/myem/envmap/myenv.html
Water Resources by State:
usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/maps
Charts and Maps Database:
nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps
General database of statistics (demographics, income, education):
https://statisticalatlas.com/United-States/Overview
Crime Statistics:
fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr
Education Statistics:
www2.ed.gov/rschstat/landing.jhtml
Windshield Survey
A windshield survey is a descriptive approach that assess several community components by
driving through a community.
Strengths: Provides a descriptive overview of a community
Limitations: The results are based only on visualization and do not include input from
community members or empirical data. Keep this is mind when reporting on your observations.
These observations should be considered preliminary until verified with data. For example, bars
on windows may suggest higher levels of crime within the community; however, refrain from
characterizing the community as “violent” unless the statistics on crime supports this conclusion.
Windshield Survey Components
Disclaimer: Not all questions below need to be answered or addressed within your paper. This
overview is intended to guide you while conducting your survey. When writing your paper, only
include the information most relevant to the health and wellness of the community and your
suggestions for community improvement according to the Healthy People 2030 topics.
People
1. Who is on the street?
2. What is their general appearance (age, dress, well-nourished, obese, frail, unkempt)?
3. What are they doing?
4. What is the origin, ethnicity, or race of the people?
5. How are the different groups (subgroups) residentially located?
6. Is there any evidence of substance use, violence, disease, mental illness?
7. Are there any animals or pets in the community?
Place
1. Boundaries
a. Where is the community located?
b. What are the boundaries?
c. Are there natural boundaries?
d. Are there man-made boundaries?
2. Location of health services
a. Where are the major health facilities located?
b. What health care facilities are necessary for the community but are not within the
community?
3. Natural environment
a. Are there geographic features that can harm the community?
b. Are there plants or animals that could harm of threaten the health of the
community?
4. Human-made environment
a. What industries are within the communities?
b. Could the environment or industry pose a threat to the health of community
workers or the community itself?
c. Is there easy access to health care facilities?
d. Are the roads adequate and marked well?
e. What types of employment exist? Manufacturing? Retail? Small business?
Military installation?
f. Are there grocery stores which provided fresh produce, or is this a “food desert”?
g. Where is the garbage disposed? Is there evidence of trash, abandoned cars, or
houses?
Housing
1. Is the housing of acceptable quality?
2. How old are the homes?
3. Are there single or multifamily dwellings?
4. Is the housing in good repair or disrepair?
5. Is there vacant housing?
Social Systems
1. Are there social services, clinics, hospitals, dentists, and health care providers available
within the community?
2. Are there ample schools within the community? Are they in good repair or disrepair?
3. Are there parks or areas of recreation?
4. What places of worship are within the community?
5. What services are provided by local religious groups, schools, community centers,
activity or recreation centers?
6. Is there public transportation?
7. What grocery stores or other stores are within the community?
8. Is public protection evident (police, fire, emergency medical services, animal control)?
General Website Format:
References
Organization Name. (date). Title of the webpage (capitalize 1st letter and proper nouns only).
www.websitehyperlink.com
In-text citation: (organization name, year)
Centers for Disease Control:
Centers for Disease Control [CDC]. (year). Title of the webpage (capitalize 1st letter and proper
nouns only). www.websitehyperlink.com
In-text 1st time: (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], year)
Subsequent Uses: (CDC, year)
Healthy People 2030:
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (year). Title of the webpage (capitalize 1st
letter and proper nouns only). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;
HealthyPeople.gov. www.websitehyperlink.com
In-text 1st time: (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [ODPHP], year)
Subsequent Uses: (ODPHP, year)
U.S. Census Bureau:
U.S. Census Bureau. (year). Title of the webpage (capitalize 1st letter and proper nouns only).
www.websitehyperlink.com
In-text: (U.S. Census Bureau, year)
Miami Matters:
Health Council of South Florida [HCSF]. (year). Title of the webpage (capitalize 1st letter and
proper nouns only). www.websitehyperlink.com
In-text: 1st time (Health Council of South Florida [HCSF], year)
Subsequent Uses: (HCSF, year)