Community Nursing Hat 1 Essay

   I chose as my community El Dorado County in the foothills of Northern California. I live in this community. We are a very healthy and active community with a large retirement group. I will go through the four assessments next. The Population Economic Status Assessment shows our population to be around 181,000. We are made up of 80% white Christian, with the next largest ethnic group being about 15% Mexican. The average household income is around $70,000 with 7.9% of people being at or below the poverty level. The Mexican population makes up the biggest percentage of the poor. El Dorado County’s median household income has been higher than the state average since 2000, indicating that its residents have more spending power than the average Californian (El Dorado Co). The unemployment rate is 11.8%. El Dorado County’s unemployment rate has been consistently lower than the California average since 1990. At any given time, there are 600+ homeless people in this community. Around 9000 people receive food stamps & another 3000 receive cash aid. On an average, we have much fewer people on public assistance than the national average. According to the information I gathered in the Cultural Assessment Tool, the population in this community has slightly more females than males which is very typical in these rural areas. There are 80% white people living here with about a 15% Mexican population (El Dorado Co). 27% of the populous are affiliated with a church, mostly Catholic Christian, compared to the 50% in the USA (Religions). About 85% of the people are covered by health insurance, which is very high compared to the rest of California. Cancer is the leading cause of death, with heart disease being second. The birth rate is 10.1 per 1000. County birth rates are consistently below average compared to the state, which is attributed to the higher senior population of the county (El Dorado Co). There is a high prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse in this community, related to poor or ineffective coping skills in the populous. There is a  real powerful stigma against the homeless community here, which really could benefit from some community teaching and outreach. The Neighborhood Community Safety Assessment shows that the air and water quality is very good in this community. Carbon monoxide levels are below the US average. They do usually have a few bad air days a year due to fires. There is some residual mercury left over from the mining days, but in low levels (El Dorado Co). During the winter snow, flooding and the cold pose health hazards. During the summer, fires are a hazard to public safety. However, there is excellent fire and police response here in this community. Many rivers and lakes in this community pose a risk for drowning; however, there are very few documented drowning’s here per year. There is quite a bit of poison oak & ivy here, and grass and hay fever irritants. Last, I will discuss the Disaster Assessment & Planning in this community. Through my research, I found that this community does follow federal guidelines for disaster management (OES). There is a County Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan that was adopted in 2007 (City of Placerville). This plan has four parts that cover administrative, an emergency operations center plan, a recovery plan, & plans specific to a type of emergency (terrorism, multi-casualty incidents, hazard mitigation plan, etc.). This plan meets needs for rescue, medical care, food, shelter, clothing, temporary housing, and employment should an emergency arise. This community also uses the CDC’s Public Health Emergency Response Guide for emergency preparedness & response. I found all this information on line, but it took considerable research and was not easy. In my research, I found that most residents in this community are not aware of any disaster preparedness plan, nor do they know where to find one. There needs to some community wide teaching on disaster preparedness, an d where to find information regarding this. The following is my community genogram and diagnosis. Community Diagnosis Within the parameters assessed above, El Dorado County California is a healthy community. The areas that need improvements are discovering a way to help people respond in healthy ways to painful life events other than drugs & alcohol, to create & implement a plan to help the homeless community, to educate the public regarding the causes and preventative  measures for Cancer & Coronary Artery Disease, and to educate the public regarding emergency & disaster preparedness through community outreach programs. Community Diagnosis Within the parameters assessed above, El Dorado County California is a healthy community. The areas that need improvements are discovering a way to help people respond in healthy ways to painful life events other than drugs & alcohol, to create & implement a plan to help the homeless community, to educate the public regarding the causes and preventative measures for Cancer & Coronary Artery Disease, and to educate the public regarding emergency & disaster preparedness through community outreach programs. El Dorado County, California hhhh El Dorado County, California hhhh Population Economic Status Located in Northern California Population 181,058 Mostly white Next largest ethnic group Mexican Median household income 70,000 7.9% households at or below poverty level 11.8% unemployment rate 600+ homeless 9,000 receive food stamps 3,000 families receive cash aid Population Economic Status Located in Northern California Population 181,058 Mostly white Next largest ethnic group Mexican Median household income 70,000 7.9% households at or below poverty level 11.8% unemployment rate 600+ homeless 9,000 receive food stamps 3,000 families receive cash aid Cultural Assessment Slightly more females than males Mostly white Christians Subcultures small Mexican & Asian Many know how to achieve good health-60% put forth effort 85% have health coverage Most know how & where to obtain medical care High prevalence of alcohol & drug abuse due to a variety of stressors Stigmas of homelessness Vast variety of outdoor recreational activities Cultural Assessment Slightly more females than males Mostly white Christians Subcultures small Mexican & Asian Many know how to achieve good health-60% put forth effort 85% have health coverage Most know how & where to obtain medical care High prevalence of alcohol & drug abuse due to a variety of stressors Stigmas of homelessness Vast variety of outdoor recreational activities Neighborhood/ Community Safety Health dept very involved in providing health services, education & information Very good air quality Very good water quality Potential for wildlife disease Vast amounts of rivers & lakes potential for drowning Severe weather events potential Potential for fires due to vast forestry Excellent fire & police response Domestic violence calls 10.5 per 1000 Neighborhood/ Community Safety Health dept very involved in providing health services, education & information Very good air quality Very good water quality Potential for wildlife disease Vast amounts of rivers & lakes potential for drowning Severe weather events potential Potential for fires due to vast forestry Excellent fire & police response Domestic violence calls 10.5 per 1000 Disaster Assessment/Planning El Dorado County Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan California Emergency Management Agency & Federal Emergency Management Agency preparedness plan Following federal guidelines Rescue, medical care, food, shelter, clothing Temporary housing, food stamps, employment Public Health Emergency Response Guide by CDC for emergency preparedness and response Most residents unaware of any plan Disaster plan not readily available or easily found Disaster Assessment/Planning El Dorado County Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan California Emergency Management Agency & Federal Emergency Management Agency preparedness plan Following federal guidelines Rescue, medical care, food, shelter, clothing Temporary housing, food stamps, employment Public Health Emergency Response Guide by CDC for emergency preparedness and response Most residents unaware of any plan Disaster plan not readily available or easily found The community genogram shows a relatively healthy mostly white community. As a whole, the people here make a good living, with unemployment below the national average. A small percentage receives food stamps and public cash benefits, also below the national average. Most people have health coverage, and about 60% of the population is proactive with their health. The leading causes of death are cancer and then cardiac disease occurring in the high 80’s of age, due to the large retirement population. The public health department is very involved in providing health services here (CDHP). The air and water quality is good here, with pollution below the national average. There is some potential for bad weather and fires, however, our fire and police response are excellent here. There is a good disaster preparedness plan, however, it is difficult to find, and few know about it. There is a high incidence of alcohol and drug use here, with poor and inadequate coping skills to handle d ifficult life events. The homeless population is really looked down upon here. Within the parameters assessed above, El Dorado County is a healthy community. The areas that need improvement are discovering a way to help people respond in healthy ways to painful life events other than drugs & alcohol, to create & implement a plan to help the homeless community, to educate the public regarding the causes and preventative measures for Cancer & Coronary Artery Disease, and to educate the public regarding emergency & disaster preparedness through community outreach programs. Bibliography CDHP. Retrieved from http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Pages/HealthyCommunityIndicators.aspx City of Placerville. Retrieved from http://www.cityofplacerville.org/ El Dorado County Economic and Demographic Profile. Retrieved from http://www.eldoradocounty.org/ Office of Emergency Services (OES). Retrieved from http://www.edcgov.us/Government/Sheriff/Divisions/Support/Office_of_Emergency_Services_