Community Assessment
This type of assessment is of great help in understanding a community as well as several aspects associated with it, which deals with all the services available within a community. In many instances, it is important information to know so that nurses know what kind of access people have to facilities within a region or hospitals within a region. In more rural areas, this may also be of good help because it allows a community to see where there is lacking in the overall access to care and access to services for their residents. In addition to this, windshield assessment is useful when there is a need to observe a larger area, alongside obtaining knowledge related to the poverty level, physical, social, and economic characteristics. In this regard, I decided to make my assignment to the City of Miami Beach, USA. I tend to be on the beach a great deal while in my free time and am familiar with the area and is a very popular destination in Miami. My assessment will consist of details of the geographical description of the city, along with the health resources, citizen safety, and protective services, services provided to senior citizens senior centers, meals on wheels, transportation, daycare, long-term care, and community welfare services beyond city/state aid as provisions for emergency food, shelter, and clothing.
Geographical Description
The boundaries of the city touch the ocean and are situated outside Biscayne Blvd, which is considered one of the most major and widest roadways. The extensions are associated with NW 17thavenue (west to east). On the other hand, the boundaries from the North to South areas are stretched from areas near NW 121ststreet to the places near NE 163rd Street. This part of the city begins from NE 151st to 183rd street, and it is further branched out a few miles towards the west inland.
Some of the boundaries that I have explored are the independent segments of Miami. In accordance with the US Census Bureau, the total area of the city is underpinned with 18.7 sq. mi (48.5 km2). The land is distributed on 7.0 sq. mi (18.2 km2), whereas the area covered by water is 11.7 sq. mi (30.2 km2) that is 62.37%.In addition to this, the city government is systematized according to the City Charter, which is responsible for the provision of a mayor-commissioner type (Census, 2014). Regarding the latest historical events, in 1979, Miami Beach “Art Deco” Historic District was included in the National Register of Historic Places.
By focusing on the economic conditions of the city, the rate of unemployment is 7.80%, alongside the rate of employment is 0.18%, and the prediction of future employment growth is 32.60% (Census, 2014). The most common types of work of the residents include food preparations, management occupations, sales, construction and extraction occupations, and others (Miami Beach, Florida, 2016).
Driving into a residential area, I see that the housing types are based on single-family homes as well as complexes and apartments and houses that are not very modern but are actually very outdated and in the style of art deco or old Spanish style homes, which are sometimes brightly colored. This matches with the tropical feel of Miami. The outside area is also very clean and a quiet area in general, with many cars on the street but not too many homeless populations in this area, but I did notice few abandoned houses across the street. There were small backyards in many houses with very few houses that have the signs ‘for-sale’. The levels of income of the people residing in the area vary from low to moderate, as I have noted a combination of well-maintained and modern houses with the houses that still have wall air conditioners. There is an evident scarcity of buildings and residential places that depict signs of decay, with a single piece of evidence displaying graffiti.
Health Resources
I observed in the community that there are many health care agencies covering all specialties, particularly health care organizations that would focus on family care services. However, there is a need for more hospitals within the community. I also witness the presence of a number of law offices, including Protective Services, Police Department, and Fire Rescue. Jackson Memorial Hospital is responsible for the facilitation of care services to the people (Beach, 2015). I have also noticed few dental offices. There were several options of pharmacy, including Navarro Discount Pharmacy, VH Pharmacy, and Coconut Grove Pharmacy. The public and private schools in the community were involved in healthy activities.
In addition to this, I observed many agencies for the provision of social services, including Family Resource Center of South Florida, Community Action Agency, and Jewish Community Services-South FL. The operation of public transportation is carried out by Miami-Dade Transit (MDT). Several lines for Metrobus are connected with Downtown Miami as well as with the Metrorail. The number of Metrobus riders is high in Miami Beach, along with the routes entailing ‘L’ and ‘S’as the busiest ones. In this regard, the density and urbanization of the community have resulted in the popularity of bicycling.
Citizen Safety and Protective Services
During my windshield assessment in the community, I saw a vehicle of the Department of Social Services in addition to the vehicles on police and fire. The MDHA-Asociacion de Residentes Haley Sofge is a well-organized faith-based facility that facilitates programs for children, classes for exercise, and other family-focused activities. The police station is located near to the neighborhood proximity, and the fire rescue stations were under construction and non-functional for the time being. On the other hand, the Department of Public Services is involved in solid waste maintenance along with other services. The South Florida Water Management District is shouldered with the duties of disseminating improvement of water quality and its supply to the community. In terms of air quality, its indexes are quite high, and the value of particles equals 49 on average, which should be considered good, while it indicates that the air pollution is low (Miami Beach, Florida, 2016).
The community is prepared for the disasters such as hurricanes and others. There are disaster shelters for people with special needs that provide transportation, among other services. In addition, the residents can receive email or text message notifications about the coming disasters and are informed about the disaster preparedness before the emergency strikes. During my tour, I also noticed several shelters in the community that is providing help to the victims of abuse, which are Abuse Counseling and Treatment and Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse.
Community as a Social System
In general, the resident population totals more than 90 thousand people and is 100 percent urban. The population density is around 13, which is high. The age composition is varied, and the median age is around 40 (Miami Beach, Florida, 2016). The sex distribution is approximately equal. The 40 percent of the population is married, 14 percent are divorced, and half of the married families have one or two children.
The two leading religions of the community are Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism. The community offers various religious associations and congregates that support the residents. In reference to the educational attainment, the population can be divided into two groups; the bigger one constitutes the population with high school education or equivalent while the smaller group has the Bachelor’s degree (Miami Beach, Florida, 2016). It is worthy of mentioning that the number of people with PhDs is relatively small. Further, the leisure pursuit and nutrition level can be considered average; only half of the population lead a healthy lifestyle (keep the diet, do sports, get rid of bad habits).
Due to high population density, there is a significant number of bus stops on the main roads. Several pedestrians were located near the roadside so that the residents can easily cross the roads. However, at some of the pedestrians, I saw people crowding, which portrays that there is a need for another pedestrian in order to overcome the hassle. I noted that the people who were walking alongside the streets were well dressed in a casual manner and seemed to be reserved. Furthermore, African American is the predominant race in the city. There are several recreational areas and nature parks, along with a significant quantity of vegetation and sidewalks. The community is presented with an abundant amount of stores and fresh markets, along with several fast-food restaurants. I have also seen shopping plazas and clothing stores that offer different products and services to the residing people.
Community Welfare and Services
In terms of diseases and mortality, the leading causes of disease are heart disease, cancer, uninsured stroke, and pulmonary disease. It should be noted that men are more predisposed to having Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and kidney disease than women in this community. However, the death rate from Alzheimer’s disease is higher in women. The average mortality rate has increased during the past years. All case injury mortality rates are higher than previously. The birth rate per 1000 total population equals ten, whereas the death rate per 100 000 population is around 838 (Florida death rate, n.d.). The infant death rate per 1000 live births is 8, 6, which is an increased number compared to previous years. The health insurance status of the population is rather low, while the number of the uninsured is close to 30 percent (Florida death rate, n.d.).
It should be noted that the people of this community experience mental and behavioral disorders that lead to deaths and suicides. The representatives of the Hispanic population are claimed to be the group with the highest suicide rate. Last year the teenage suicide rate among the population amounted to 5 percent. The common sources of stress in this community are unemployment and housing issues. As for teenagers, the main stressors are related to school problems and family-related issues (such as parents’ divorce or the disease of a family member).
In order to serve the needs of homeless people in Miami, the government administration facilitates the needy by providing them funds for housing opportunities. The objective of this program is to ensure a range of facilitation based on the housing options and other associated services to the intensely needy people of the society who are regarded as the low-to-moderate income people of the society. Apart from that, the community offers inclusive programs and activities for special populations (Special populations/ inclusion, 2016). The programs include occupations and services for blind people, those who are mobility impaired, and others so that the people can enjoy recreation and an active way of life.
Conclusion
It is crucial to indicate that more than 50 percent of the population are privately insured. Meanwhile, the extension of Medicaid does not cover a number of costs for the health care service delivery of the community. The funds aimed at addressing the poorer cover only the specific needs, such as payments for children’s hospitals and medical schools. Subsequently, it is one of the acute considerations in this society.
References
Beach, M. (2015). Miami Beach. Web.
Census, U. S. (2014). State & county quickfacts. Web.
Florida death rate query system. (n.d.).
Miami Beach, Florida. (2016).
Special populations/ inclusion in recreation. (2016). Web.