Community Health Assessment of 78382
Chamberlain College of Nursing
NR-443
Fall Session, November 2012
Audrey L. Hendrix

Community Health Assessment of 78382
Introduction
In an effort to promote the health needs within a community, a successful community health nurse (CHN) must focus on the entire population. In order to accomplish this task, the CHN utilizes a scientific approach to determine the priority population focused health needs for the community. According to Nies & McEwen (2011), a population focus involving an assessment of the community is a primary tool utilized in order to develop planning, interventions, and evaluations for the community at large. The purpose of this paper is to determine a priority …show more content…

Most of the business buildings have handicapped ramps leading up the sidewalks. Parking lots have handicapped parking and the doors have handicapped buttons. One large park is noted during the survey but the park was sparsely populated during the survey. Very few children are visible during the survey. Numerous full service restaurants as well as fast food facilities are seen throughout the community. Rockport has no hospital but there is one emergency care clinic. Two dialysis centers, one assisted living facility, and three long-term care centers are noted. Two physical therapy facilities are also seen during the survey as well as three dentist offices. While driving throughout the neighborhoods, very few children are seen outside playing. No neighborhood watch signs are visible in any of the neighborhoods. Numerous churches are seen throughout the entire community. No evidence of gang activity, drug abuse or alcohol abuse is visible during the survey. One herbal shop is located in the downtown area. Next door to the herbal store, there is an advertisement for massage therapy sessions. Signs advertising health clinics, lectures, or health fairs are not visible during the survey.
Problem
Assessment data clearly defines obesity as a focus health area. The combined percentage totals for the adults and children within the Rockport community that suffer from obesity is 49.9%. According to the Center for Disease