Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX6218
Instructor’s Name
October, 2024
Community Health Assessment
The community health assessment is crucial to providing individually tailored healthcare solutions in society. In research, nurse leaders are encouraged to accept themselves with the local environment in the allocation of resources (Pazzaglia et al., 2023). Such tools can be used to gather evidence-based data relating to social determinants and community health such as the windshield survey. The selected community in considering this paper is Jordan, Minnesota in the Vila Health system where an environmental scan and virtual windshield survey must be conducted to assess the healthcare needs and issues present in the community (Capella University, 2023). Such an assessment will inform the implementation of appropriate remedial measures toward enhancing positive, health statuses.
Executive Summary
General Condition and Public Health Needs
Through the windshield survey of Jordan, Minnesota, we can understand the community’s current state and health. These include; housing, transportation, environment, and safety which are discussed under the subtopics described in Table 1 in the appendix (Capella University, 2023). These are critical as they determine the health and wellness of the people within this community. The United States Census Bureau estimates that Jordan’s population was 6,777 residents in 2021 and the median age here was 31 years. Racial distribution with Whites is the most frequent at 93% followed by Hispanics / Latinos, Black or African American, and Asians (Capella University, 2023).
Jordan is a countryside in the south-central part of Minnesota and the main residents are of a lesser class than the residents of the new generational housing estates outside Jordan. However, there are several public health facilities; St. Francis Health Services, clinics, and urgent care centers which serve the community (Capella University, 2023). Also for leisure, walks, recreation centers, parks, Jordan area food shelves, and other charitable organizations also come in handy to those in need. Local dwelling institutions that are also important include the following; Churches, schools, and small businesses.
It reveals the resource profile and challenges in Jordan’s public health sectors and organizations in particular (Capella University, 2023). Strengths comprise the sound infrastructural development, well-illuminated clean streets, avenues, and other tracks for exercises as well as child-friendly playgrounds. Community resources, such as Oak Terrace Senior Living for the elderly and primary care clinics like the one in Jordan, MN, provide essential healthcare services to the population.
Limitations and Safety Concerns
Because crime is a primary concern and can sometimes involve gang violence it is advised to avoid areas identified as dangerous and/or under high risk of gang activity in Jordan, Minnesota. Adhering to traffic signs and signals, and responding to other motor vehicles, pedestrians, and animals in the road is critical. In conclusion, though the windshield survey is a good start to making some assessment of the community’s demographic status, and socioeconomic and health-related indicators, it should be backed up by other information to provide a more detailed picture. The local government has provided resources such as the Community Crime Map and Code Red to increase the safeguard of the residents. Moreover, there is an approach to educate the whole community and involve them in the process of increasing individual safety measures. Another way community development can improve neighborhood safety is through close relations within neighborhoods that aim at creating a network that supports that safety.
Environmental Analysis
Risk factors from the physical environment have the potential to influence the health of a given population in a community. As for the case of Jordan, Minnesota, some environmental factors can be considered important for the population’s health.
Key Health Issues
Air Quality: Jordan in particular suffers badly from its environmental air quality. Currently, the American Lung Association unveiled the State of the Air report in 2021 and it was observed that Jordan County is not claimed in the list of the top clean counties for ozone air pollution (Mannoh et al., 2021). The levels of ozone are very hazardous because they can provoke respiratory diseases, the worsening of asthmatic symptoms, and heart diseases.
Water Quality: Water pollution will make one suffer from diseases such as stomach disorders, and skin diseases and might even cause cancer (Boakye et al., 2024). The Environmental Working Group (EWG) looked into the tap water in Jordan and discovered a range of contaminants including nitrate.
Access to healthy food: The people of Jordan have very significantly limited opportunities to purchase fresh and healthy food (Schenk & Jhonson, 2022).” This may result in sickness including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
Opportunities
Green spaces: Jordan has some parks that offer the chance to exercise and spend time outdoors. The literature review has demonstrated that natural environments have the potential to enhance mental well-being, alleviate stress levels, and enhance levels of physical activity (Wang et al., 2023).
Community initiatives: Having enacted important reforms in its health care system, Jordan has other community-based programs directing lifestyle modification and decreasing health disparities (Tiase et al., 2022). For instance, the Jordan Area Food Shelf is a health food store that offers foodstuffs to the residents of the region, and the Jordan Community Education mainly deals with classes and activities that promote healthy diets and exercises among the citizens.
Threats
Climate change: This is because climate change causes infections, respiratory diseases, and other ailments brought about by heat injuries (Johnson et al., 2022). Some other things that are evident today in Minnesota are floods and heat waves, and these are likely to further happen in the future.
Environmental pollutants: Consideration of polluted environment such as pesticide sprays, lead, or industrial chemicals has health effects (Johnson et al., 2022). Some of the sites in Scott County may release air and water emissions that pose health risks to inhabitants within their surrounding areas like industrial zones.
The following are the key findings The population in Jordan, Minnesota is experiencing various effects on its health due to several environmental factors. Environmental risks such as air and water pollution and access to healthy foods. However, the community has the following opportunities to champion health and wellness; the green space and the health-embracing activities within the community (Mannoh et al., 2021). This paper also reveals another global threat which is climate change and other pollutants that must be combatted to save the lives of Jordan’s people.
Social Determinants of Health
These include basic needs including living, healthcare, education, housing, and access to employment opportunities for individuals, children, families, and communities; and as much as things are not excellent Downtown Area Neighborhood in Jordan, it lacks the required standards… The poverty index of Jordan City Minnesota is at 14.6 percent proven by the few places of worship hence prejudices towards minorities it is high it need to change (Capella University, 2023).
Elements of community attitude and perception can be changed for the better by increasing the educational level of the grown-up residents and technologically and resourcefully empowering them (Goobie et al., 2022). By embarking on economic enclave development projects in the community new economic activities may be created in the form of new companies and employment opportunities for the residents of the community hence changing the social status of the community.
Of equal importance is the understanding that with the increased age of the population across the community, the standards and values upheld by a community change as well and so should how individuals in a given community relate (Boakye et al., 2024). So, further actions should be taken to improve the level of social determinants of health in Jordan’s Downtown Area Neighborhood to change the living conditions in the future and help people become healthier.
NURS FPX 6218 Assessment 2 Conclusions
While conducting the windshield survey in Jordan, Minnesota it was mentally noted that several factors influenced the health status of the general populace in the community; elements of the physical and social environment that are enough to give a summary and detailed outcomes of the health-related assessment of the community in question (Van et al., 2019). The survey revealed that the community had several positive attributes and opportunities as well as work in progress. It is therefore important for healthcare departments to try and seek ways of improving the particular diseases’ health outcomes within the society through introducing sustainable interventions.
NURS FPX 6218 Assessment 2 References
Boakye, D. S., Kwashie, A. A., Adjorlolo, S., & Korsah, K. A. (2024). Nursing education for sustainable development: A concept analysis. Nursing Open, 11(10), e70058. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.70058
Capella University. (2023). Vila Health: Environmental Analysis and Windshield Survey Transcript. Sso3.Capella.edu. https://media.capella.edu/CourseMedia/msn6218element238562/transcript.asp
Goobie, G. C., Carlsten, C., Johannson, K. A., Khalil, N., Marcoux, V., Assayag, D., Manganas, H., Fisher, J. H., Kolb, M. R. J., Lindell, K. O., Fabisiak, J. P., Chen, X., Gibson, K. F., Zhang, Y., Kass, D. J., Ryerson, C. J., & Nouraie, S. M. (2022). Association of particulate matter exposure with lung function and mortality among patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease. JAMA Internal Medicine, 182(12), 1248–1259. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.4696
Johnson, C. B., Luther, B., Wallace, A. S., & Kulesa, M. G. (2022). Social determinants of health: what are they and how do we screen. Orthopedic Nursing, 41(2), 88–100. https://doi.org/10.1097/NOR.0000000000000829
Kisut, R., Haji Awang Sulaiman, H. D. J., Abdul Rahman, H., & Abdul-Mumin, K. H. (2022). Competency assessment for community health nurses: a focus group expert panel discussion. BMC Nursing, 21(1), 134. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-00898-y
Mannoh, I., Hussien, M., Commodore, Y., & Michos, E. D. (2021). Impact of social determinants of health on cardiovascular disease prevention. Current Opinion in Cardiology, 36(5), 572–579. https://doi.org/10.1097/HCO.0000000000000893
Pazzaglia, C., Camedda, C., Ugenti, N. V., Trentin, A., Scalorbi, S., & Longobucco, Y. (2023). Community health assessment tools adoptable in nursing practice: A scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 1667. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031667
Schenk, E., & Johnson, S. (2022). Nurse-sensitive environmental indicators: A qualitative study. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(8), 4378–4386. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13861
Tiase, V., Crookston, C. D., Schoenbaum, A., & Valu, M. (2022). Nurses’ role in addressing social determinants of health. Nursing, 52(4), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NURSE.0000823284.16666.96
Van Herwerden, L. A., Palermo, C., & Reidlinger, D. P. (2019). Capacity assessment in public health community interventions: a systematic review. Health Promotion International, 34(6), e84–e93. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/day071
Wang, J., Foxman, B., Rao, K., Cassone, M., Gibson, K., Mody, L., & Snitkin, E. S. (2023). Association of patient clinical and gut microbiota features with vancomycin-resistant enterococci environmental contamination in nursing homes: a retrospective observational study. The Lancet. Healthy Longevity, 4(11), e600–e607. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-7568(23)00188-5
Appendix
Table 1: Windshield Survey and Environmental Analysis
| Category | Questions | Observations and Impressions | SWOT Category | References |
| Community Size | How many people live in the community? | Jordan is a small town situated in the farming belt of Minnesota. Population of 6,777 | Strengths | (CapellaUniversity, 2023) |
| Population | What are the characteristics of the members of the community with such factors as age, ethnicity, or income)? | The churches and schools nearby imply that the inhabitants of the place are predominantly Christians, and there are people of all ages there. The median household income is $ 100, 000; nearly about 14% of the population lives below the poverty line. | Weaknesses | (CapellaUniversity, 2023) |
| Age | Who is living in the community? | Observation of an elementary and high school indicates that the location has both young families and elderly people. | Opportunities | (CapellaUniversity, 2023) |
| Ethnicity | Who are the people living in that community | Minorities are 14.5% of the population. Christian population that is of diverse ethnic backgrounds. | Threats | (City of Jordan,2022) |
| Health Issues | What are those illnesses common to the society? | Stomach and lung diseases due to pollution. Diabetes and Obesity are due to poor nutrition, or more precisely the absence of good nutrition due to the unavailability of healthy foods. | Weakness | (Mannoh et al., 2021) |
| Health Care Services | Who are the providers of the healthcare services in the community? | The health organization of St. Francis Health Services affiliated itself with Allina Health and Park Nicollet Health Service, both of which are considered some of the biggest healthcare providers in the region. It is an acute care hospital offering services of inpatient, outpatient, and emergency services. Jordan Community Education and Recreation Center also provides fitness and wellness information. | Strengths | (CapellaUniversity, 2023) |
| Churches | What are the religions that act as social religions in the community? | Some of the churches that can be found in the area include Hope Lutheran Church, Zion United Methodist Church, Immanuel Methodist, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, St. Paul Lutheran Church, and Tree of Life Church among others. | Strengths | (CapellaUniversity, 2023) |
| Schools | Which schools are there within the community? | The schools around this area are; Jordan Middle School, Jordan High School, Jordan Elementary School, and River Valley Education Center. | Strengths | (CapellaUniversity, 2023) |
| Businesses | What kinds of businesses are common within the community? | When offices and shops are clustered in a single neighborhood, there may likely be a downtown district containing both retail and service industries. | Weakness | (CapellaUniversity, 2023) |
| Buildings | What architectural structures or other structures that people recognize are there in the community? | Some of the structures in the community include Jordan City Hall, Scott County Library Jordan branch, and the City Council & History Centre. | Strengths | (CapellaUniversity, 2023) |
| Restaurants | Which kinds of restaurants can be seen in the community? | No particular kinds of restaurants were described in the survey, however, the existence of the distinct section labeled as ‘downtown’ indicates versatility. | Weakness | (CapellaUniversity, 2023) |
