Running head: COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF MACON-BIBB COUNTY

Community Health Assessment of Macon-Bibb County, Georgia

Western Governors University
Community Health and Population-Focused Nursing
C-228
Gail Abraham
August 20, 2015

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COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF MACON-BIBB COUNTY

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Community Health Assessment of Macon-Bibb County, Georgia
Identification of community
Founded in 1882, approximately 85 miles south of the state capital, Macon-Bibb County lies in the heart of central Georgia nestled along the banks of the Ocmulgee River. It is the 4th largest municipality in the state, encompassing 255 square miles of gently rolling hills and plains with a population of 155,547, population density of 626 people …show more content…

Of the children in the county, 44.6% were living in poverty, 43.5% were living in high-poverty areas, and 9,551 households with children were receiving food stamps ("Profile of Child," 2013).
Neighborhood/Community safety inventory
The Neighborhood/Community Safety Inventory tool was completed in order to perform a safety assessment of the community. In 2002, the county ranked in the worst 10% of all U.S.

COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF MACON-BIBB COUNTY

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counties related to air release of known carcinogens ("Pollution Report," 2011). And in 2005, the county ranked 45 out of 101 counties across the U.S. with the highest Particulate Matter (PM2.5) annual air pollution readings but had average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L
("Profile: Bibb County," 2015). Located just north of the Macon-Bibb County line sits the
Georgia Power coal burning plant, Plant Scherer, the 5th largest electric generating plant and the
#1 emitter of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the United States ("Plant Scherer," n.d.).
Raccoons and bats are the most likely to test positive for rabies in the county and from
2001-2011, there was an average of one rabid animal per year (Georgia Department of Public
Health: North Central Health District website, 2013). Between 2007-2011, there were 42 vector borne or zoonotic diseases reported