Primary Care Initiative Community Health, Assessment Example

Introduction

Long Island City in Astoria, Queens is a community that is represented by a collaborative and supportive environment. The community is represented by a variety of health concerns and issues that have a significant impact on their overall health and wellbeing, in addition to a significant focus on areas where additional support and influence are essential from local organizations and support systems. This community possesses a number of important opportunities to improve its position and to be successful in meeting the needs of its residents through healthcare programs to address chronic illness and other needs. Community health nurses are critical contributors to the development of the community’s healthcare alternatives and in enhancing existing services across all population groups.

Community

Long Island City in Astoria, Queens supports a unique and collaborative approach to managing the health status of its residents through community-based approaches to achieve greater wellebing. There are approximately 124,000 residents in this area and the median age is 34.9 years for males and 36 years for females (City-Data, 2014). The community offers local health services to accommodate populations from young children to older adults. Community health nurses must be active participants within Long Island City to address a number of health risks that impact local residents, such as infectious disease and chronic illness.

Long Island City places a significant emphasis on collaboration and networking through social means in order to improve its visibility and strength among its residents. This is an important step in enabling residents to gain empowerment and to be proactive in making their own decisions, along with other factors that have an impact on their overall wellbeing and satisfaction. Community-based nursing initiatives must be explored in greater detail and work with local residents with all types of insurance, as well as the uninsured, in order to address problems that residents face, such as chronic illness, disease prevention, and infectious disease as they impact the community at large. Community-based nursing may provide targeted services to accommodate residents to identify health concerns and promote improved health management on an individual basis.

Demographic and Epidemiological Data

With a population of approximately 124,000 residents over 3,300 square miles, Long Island City requires sufficient health-based resources in order to accomplish its objectives and to improve its understanding of the issues that are most relevant to local community members (City-Data, 2014). There 51 births per 1,000 women and a death rate of 598 per 100,000 persons (NYC.gov). Local residents face a number of health risks that are associated with a number of factors, including the surrounding environment, access to healthcare services, economic status, and other issues that influence their attitudes and perceptions regarding health and wellbeing within their community. The New York City Council’s Community Health Assessment (2008) identified a number of critical health issues that this and other nearby communities face, including but not limited to 1) access to care, which is difficult to obtain in a timely manner; 2) difficulty in accessing mental health services; 3) lack of insurance or out-of-pocket cost to the consumer; 4) poor communication between healthcare professionals and consumers; 5) poor navigation of the healthcare system; 6) difficulties in obtaining transportation to make scheduled appointments; 7) lack of specialty care within the community; 8) and limitations to primary care access, among others. Community health nurses are likely to bridge some of the gaps that exist when resources or insurance coverage are limited. Therefore, it is necessary to address these concerns and to be proactive in considering other factors that will have a positive impact on the community and its residents on a continuous basis, such as community health nursing as a viable resource to ensure that residents are able to sustain a higher quality of life.

Windshield Survey

Based upon the information gathered in the previous assignment, it is important to address the general state of the community and how it manages its primary concerns associated with health and other factors. To be specific, the community possesses a relatively high household income and strong per capita income, along with a somewhat high yet stable unemployment rate, with an anticipated high job growth rate in the coming years (Sperling’s Best Places, 2014). These circumstances indicate that the community is in a position to improve its overall health status, wellbeing, quality of life, and general satisfaction with the environment and the offerings that are available. It is believed that the community will continue to explore new options to increase community-based collaboration and services to support local residents and to expand community health options for young children and in particular, older adults. For these residents, it is important to allocate resources to support community health nurses and to recognize the value of these nurses in shaping a healthier environment.

Problem

Based upon the general assessment, there appears to be a significant problem associated with communication and lack of access to community healthcare services for some residents, which in turn, limits their ability to obtain the necessary treatments to manage chronic illness and even life-threatening diseases. This problem continues to be challenging on many levels and is exacerbated by poor communication and collaboration among many healthcare providers (Ghorob & Bodenheimer, 2012). Furthermore, it is evident that access to care is a significant issue that requires further consideration, as it requires greater attention to preventative services that could save lives and improve quality of life for many population groups (Maciosek et.al, 2010). In this context, it is important for the residents of Long Island City to have greater access to community health nurses and to obtain services such as vaccinations, HIV testing, preventative blood pressure screenings and diabetes testing, and wellness visits. Community health nurses who perform outreach to provide these services must also demonstrate a high level of support and encouragement in advancing preventative care and diagnostic services for patients throughout Long Island City. Community health nurses must also provide streamlined access to care, rather than to limit access to these services and risk a higher rate of disease and other complications that could lead to higher mortality rates and other risks over time.

Summary

Long Island City possesses a number of important community-based health challenges that require further consideration and evaluation. Health status within this community could be improved, particularly for young children and older adults, through the use of preventative services and improved access to care and treatment on a consistent basis. Community health nurses may fill an existing void that will facilitate new ideas and approaches to care and treatment that will have a lasting impact on local residents. Under these conditions, it is possible to achieve greater support for these needs through an active and present community health nursing initiative in order to be cognizant of the issues that impact local residents, including socioeconomic status. These factors require a greater understanding of the needs of local residents from the community health nursing perspective and an opportunity to examine new programs to improve quality of life and the overall direction in which the community is headed with respect to health and wellbeing.

References

City-Data (2014). Long Island City (LIC) neighborhood in Astoria, New York (NY), 11377,

11101, 11102, 11103, 11106 detailed profile. Retrieved from http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Long-Island-City-Astoria-NY.html

Ghorob, A., & Bodenheimer, T. (2012). Sharing the care to improve access to primary care. New England Journal of Medicine, 366(21), 1955-1957.

Maciosek, M. V., Coffield, A. B., Flottemesch, T. J., Edwards, N. M., & Solberg, L. I. (2010).

Greater use of preventive services in US health care could save lives at little or no cost. Health Affairs, 29(9), 1656-1660.

New York City Council (2008). Primary care initiative community health assessment. Retrieved from http://council.nyc.gov/downloads/pdf/PCI%20Final%20Report.pdf

NYC.gov. Neighborhood health profiles. Retrieved from http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2000nhp-queense.pdf

Sperling’s Best Places (2014). Economy in Long Island City (zip 11109), New York. Retrieved From http://www.bestplaces.net/economy/zip-code/new_york/long_island_city/11109