Community Analysis and Program Paper

• The purpose of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to synthesize and apply the knowledge you have gained from all your courses toward the completion of a comprehensive community project. In addition, this project will serve as a measure of your ability to think critically, communicate effectively, and collaborate with a health professional or community leader. The Geographic Community you selected is the main topic of your assessment, diagnosis, and plan. Information about the organization/agency and population you worked with in your Practice Experience Environment for the NUR-443 course as well as the outcome(s) of your Practice Experience are included and compared to the needs of the (larger) Geographic Community.
• The objectives of the Community Analysis and Program paper are to develop skills to:
• assess the social and healthcare needs of a selected community;
• gather historic, demographic, and bio-statistical data on a community:
• complete interviews with key informants to engage the community and to broaden knowledge about the community;
• diagnose the strengths and vulnerabilities of the community; and
• create a feasible, collaborative community intervention to address one wellness deficit or gap in care or services identified in your analysis of this community.

GUIDELINES

The Community Analysis and Program Paper should be between 5 to 10 pages of text, not including appendices, tables, and references.

Community Assessment background

• Complete community leader/key informant interview
• Interview at least two persons from the community (for example, community residents, leaders, and health care professionals) regarding their perceptions of prevailing health needs, concerns, issues, and assets of the selected community. The following list suggests persons you should include in your interview process:
• healthcare providers (including school or occupational health nurses);
• home health nurses;
• mental health workers;
• clergy;
• police and fire personnel;
• city officials;
• educators;
• youth;
• elderly;
• business and professional people; and/or
• informal leaders.
• Complete a Windshield Survey
• The Windshield Survey portion of your assessment should be completed by driving around the community. The Windshield Survey is comprised of general qualitative observations that give you a snapshot of the community.
• Follow the guide in the Rector textbook (pp. 528-529), note the elements mentioned in the textbook, share your analysis in the paper, and briefly address the major elements of the survey.
• Collect Demographic, health, and vital statistics data
• Demographic and vital statistics data for the community you selected to assess can be obtained online through the public library and from the selected state, county, city, or township administration. If health data for a township or borough is not available, utilize data from the county in which the township/borough is located.
• All information needed for this project is in the public domain and accessible to you.

Writing the Community Analysis and Project Paper

• SECTION I: Definition of Community-Identification and History
• Give a brief description of the area assessed in terms of geographic location and history.
• Describe significant trends and events related to current function and status of the community, e.g., was this a manufacturing community that has experienced plant closings and job losses?
• SECTION II: Assessment
• Demographics
• Describe the following demographic and socio-economic characteristics of your geographic community:
• Demographics
• Population size and density
• Racial and ethnic diversity
• Percentage of households where language other than English is spoken
• Educational levels for residents > 25 years of age
• Current unemployment rate
• Types of occupations of residents
• Per capita income
• Percent of households with incomes below the federal poverty level
• Median value of homes
• Average age of homes
• Demographics conclusion & summary – interpret demographics information, compare to surrounding areas if appropriate.
• Windshield Survey
• Summarize windshield survey observations with a focus on health and wellness.
• Important available community resources to help families achieve optimal levels of wellness can be listed in the Appendix.
• Representation
• Describe the local government structure
• Who are the state representatives and what is their party affiliation?
• Who represents the members of this community in the United States Congress?
• Vital and Health statistics
• Summarize the most current available data with comparison to state and/or national rates for perspective, including the following information (tables may be utilized for succinct presentation and easy comparison):
• incidence and prevalence of 5 most common major chronic diseases (identify chronic diseases);
• death rates for 5 leading causes of death;
• infant mortality rates;
• incidence of births to mothers < 20 years of age;
• incidence and prevalence of 5 most common reportable communicable diseases;
• crime/violence statistics; may include child abuse statistics; and
• vital and health statistics conclusion & summary – analyze the data.
• Vulnerable Population/Practice Experience Environment
• Describe the location of your Practice Experience, the mission/vision of the agency/organization, and the population served.
• Community leader/key informant interviews
• Summarize results of the community leader/key informant interview, including at least one who is directly involved with your Practice Experience environment.

• Describe the role of the informant in the community and analyze the interviews addressing areas or community and/or population concerns expressed most frequently.
• SECTION III: Diagnosis and Plan
• Community and Practice Experience Population Diagnosis and Plan
• Critically evaluate all data collected and use the results to develop a community diagnosis (see Rector pp.535 & 536).
• Summarize the identified wellness deficits or gaps in care or services of your Practice Experience population that provided the foundation for your health education plan.
• Create a feasible, collaborative, community intervention to address one wellness deficit or gap in care or services identified in the analysis of this community. Include a measurable plan objective (e.g., in three years there will be a __% reduction in the number of _________in the community).
• Describe the education plan you developed and implemented to address the wellness deficits or gaps in care or services.
• SECTION IV – Implementation and Evaluation
• Describe the methods used and summarize the outcomes of your health education project evaluation (include education plan in Appendix).
• Actual evaluation results can be formative and/or summative.
• Summarize the barriers and facilitators you encountered when you implemented your health education plan
• Summarize the barriers and facilitators for implementing your community-wide intervention plan (based on your analysis of this community, interviews, and/or your practice experience in this community)
• Who has been or could/would be instrumental and able to implement your plan for this community, or who would benefit from the information you obtained in your community analysis (e.g., government officials, government representatives, community members, business leaders)?
• What differences, if any, did you observe between the needs of the geographic community (as identified in your diagnosis) and those of the Practice Experience population you worked with?
• Conclusion: In one paragraph, summarize your geographic community and Practice Experience population assessment, proposed intervention(s), and projections for the ability of this community to reduce the identified gap(s) in care or services.

Note: These directions and the grading rubric for this assignment (See the Evaluation Rubrics area of the course) will be used to evaluate and grade your assignment. Please refer to the details of each when preparing your assignment.