Overview
Community Description
History
The selected community for this assessment is Miami Gardens. This city has a population of over one hundred thousand people. The community is found in the northern part of Miami-Dade (Mills & Arch, 2016). The city started to grow in the early 1960s. This occurred when more people from different minority groups began to earn better incomes. More people began to settle in the region during the same period. Miami Gardens was incorporated recently in 2013.
Community type
Many analysts describe Miami Gardens as a suburban region. The current population is around 130,000 (Mills & Arch, 2016).
Physical Environmental Considerations
Description
Location
Miami Gardens is a neighborhood in Miami-Dade, Florida. The suburban city acquired its name from a street in the county. This is the Miami Gardens Drive (Mills & Arch, 2016).
Topographical features
Miami Gardens is characterized by a number of features such as the Biscayne Canal. There are both natural and manmade water bodies.
Climate
This city has a fine climate. For example, past studies indicate that the city gets enough rainfall annually (Mills & Arch, 2016). The city does not encounter snowfalls. The region experiences distinctive seasons every year.
Boundaries/Area
Miami Gardens is known to obtain its name from Miami Gardens Road. The community’s estimated area is around 20 square miles (Allender, Rector, & Warner, 2013). It lies between NW 47th and NW 57th Avenue. It also borders 151 Street on the south. It stretches to 2nd Avenue on the east (Mills & Arch, 2016).
Environment
The city has been supported by the county in order to develop its environment. The city has reliable water and sanitation systems. Clean water is available for drinking and domestic use. The community has effective mechanisms to collect and dispose wastes. Animal vectors have been observed to affect the integrity of the surrounding environment. However, increased economic and agricultural practices have led to pollution. The index of the air quality stands at 55 percent. The air in Miami Gardens is usually odorless. Allender et al. (2013) place particulate matter at around 66 percent.
The city is chiefly an industrial community. People purchase fresh vegetables from different convenient stores. A good example is Walgreens. People eat fresh fruits and raw vegetables. Florida is prone to various calamities such as floods and hurricanes (Staub, 2016). Fortunately, emergency responses and health services are desirable. The city has designed effective programs to deal with disasters.
Housing
The issue of housing is taken seriously in Miami Gardens. The community is characterized by both private and public houses. There are rented houses in this neighborhood. Such houses meet the needs of the people. Around 60 percent of the inhabitants live in rentals (Staub, 2016). The needs of elderly and disabled persons are addressed using proper housing systems. Shelters for homeless persons offer adequate or emergency housing. Frail elders get proper housing in Miami Gardens.
Leading Occupations/Industries
Miami Gardens is a suburban city that has attracted many manufacturing firms. These companies are known to offer employment opportunities to more people. The leading companies include Allied General Industries, Miller, and Disitron Satellite Group (Mills & Arch, 2016). There are several banking, insurance, and transport firms in Miami Gardens. These firms dictate the occupations and careers of many dwellers.
The People of the Community
Population Profile
The census of 2011 indicated that the community had a total number of 109,600 people. This translates to a population density of 5,870 people per square mile. The rate of population growth in Miami Gardens stands at 17 percent (Staub, 2016).
The issue of mobility has not been covered adequately in this society. The level of mobility is low in the community (Mills & Arch, 2016). The city’s population is projected to increase in the near future. The average family is observed to have 4 members (Allender et al., 2013). Nuclear families are common in this society.
Biological Considerations
The community is characterized by all age groups. These include the elderly, adults, young adults, children, and infants. Most of the people are aged between 14 and 40 years. The percentage of this age bracket is 37. Individuals between 1 and 14 years amount to 14 percent (Mills & Arch, 2016). The aging population is also high in Miami Gardens. The population appears to be fairly composed.
Majority of the people are African Americans (slightly above 76 percent). Eighteen percentage of the population is white. The other common races include Native Americans and Latinos. The latest census indicated that the city’s birthrate was 1.1/100 persons. Crude death has been recorded at 0.5 percent. The members of the community are affected by health challenges such as neonatal deaths. The affected children die within the first month. Studies have placed infant mortality rate at 0.5 percent (Staub, 2016). Deaths resulting from maternal conditions stand at 0.7 percent. The community members face health challenges such as cancer, diabetes, and obesity. These diseases have led to increased premature deaths in the community.
Psychological Considerations
The history of a given community dictates the health outcomes of its people. Several historical events have been recorded in Miami Gardens. The outstanding event is the Civil Rights Movement that took place several decades ago. Some natural disasters such as typhoons and hurricanes have occurred in the past (Staub, 2016). Such events have been observed to affect the psychological wellness of many residents.
Many inhabitants engage in a wide range of activities such as business to lead better lives. Informal and formal communication practices are embraced by more people (Gougeon, Johnson, & Morse, 2017). For instance, official communication is used by those who have formal jobs. The rate of suicide is quite in Miami Gardens. For instance, over thirty people commit suicide in every population of 100,000 (Staub, 2016). This social problem is addressed using appropriate health promotion practices. The levels of suicide are attributable to the increasing level of discrimination, unemployment, and lack of health services.
Sociological Considerations
Sociological status
Many workers in Miami Gardens earn an annual salary of around 47,000 USD. The common careers embraced by many people include banking, teaching, and care delivery. Unemployment stands at 6/100 people (Staub, 2016). The elderly population has been on the rise. Around 16 percent of the people are retirees. The percentage of those living below the poverty level is 13. Over 60 percent of the population is believed to be literate.
Educational level
Majority of the people are literate. Most of these people are Catholics. A small percentage (less than 1) is believed to be Muslims. Half of the community’s population is married. However, divorce rate remains extremely high at 13 percent (Staub, 2016). The widely used language is English.
Leadership and Governance
Miami Gardens is led by a City Council constituted of seven individuals. The council has a manager, a clerk, and a lawyer to support various functions. The community is governed by a major. Oliver G. Gilbert has been the city’s major. He is currently serving his second term. The offices are found Miami Gardens City. People can get services from the headquarters from 8 am to 4 pm. The mayor and the manager offer adequate leadership to support the welfare of the city (Staub, 2016). The served people are free to visit the manager every working day.
Education
Public facilities are observed to deliver quality education to members of the community. There are public elementary learning institutions such as Norwood, Bunche Park, and Skyway. The major middle schools include North Dade and Parkway (Staub, 2016). The leading universities include Saint Thomas and Florida Memorial University. There are also private colleges that offer quality education. Miami-Dade Public Library System serves members of this community.
People in need of specialized services are supported using adequate care delivery processes. These are offered by different hospitals and education departments. Adults with special needs are supported by such facilities. Adults and children with disabilities receive adequate care or education (Mills & Arch, 2016). Various departments offer quality education to people with disabilities. The blind and the deaf are served by a number of institutions in the city (Burns & Firn, 2017). Such individuals are supported by different policies and programs implemented by the leaders.
Transportation
Road transport is common in Miami Gardens. The city has several companies that offer adequate transportation services to the people. Such corporations include Sawgrass Express and Metrobus (Staub, 2016). Gougeon et al. (2017) indicate that most of the people in different working positions have their own cars.
Behavioral Considerations
Many people in the community embrace the best health and dietary practices. Some people do not have access to quality food materials. There are cinema halls and leisure parks in the community (Mills & Arch, 2016). These are using for leisure and different sporting activities. People are encouraged to engage in a wide range of sporting activities. Safe driving is taken seriously in Miami Gardens.
Health System Considerations
Miami Gardens has several clinics that provide vaccination, dental care, pregnancy tests, and prenatal services. There are specific health centers that offer most of these medical services. The leading institutions include Jackson North Medical Center and Chen Medical Center (Burns & Firn, 2017). The institutions offer personalized services in accordance with the needs of the patients.
Many people do not have access to insurance or medical cover due to their economic positions. Pharmacies and drug stores encourage some people to overuse the services. Financing can either be private or public (Hass, Moloney, & Chambliss, 2017). Medicaid and Medicare services are also available to support the healthcare sector.
Problem Identification
This community is observed to have an increasing number of young people affected by alcoholism. Individuals affected by alcoholism use other drugs such as marijuana. Consequently, they find it hard to pursue their objectives. The healthcare delivery services available in Miami-Dade do not appear to present adequate opportunities to these patients. This problem should, therefore, be addressed immediately to ensure every affected person realizes his or her potential (Murphy, Hart, & Moore, 2016).
Action Plan
This community can benefit from an evidence-based plan aimed at addressing the problem of drug abuse and alcoholism. The strategy will entail the implementation of a powerful teaching program. The campaign will be characterized by teaching sessions and public meetings. Young people will be encouraged to attend in order to understand how alcoholism has become a critical concern in the community (Murphy et al., 2016). Television ads and billboards will be employed to ensure more patients in Miami are informed about the problem. Parents and relatives of individuals affected by the vice will understand how to diagnose and treat various forms of addiction.
References
Allender, J., Rector, C., & Warner, K. (2013). Community & public health nursing: Promoting the public’s health (8th ed.). New York, NY: Wolters Kluwer Health.
Burns, T., & Firn, M. (2017). Outreach in community mental health care: A manual for practitioners (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Gougeon, L., Johnson, J., & Morse, H. (2017). Interprofessional collaboration in health care teams for the maintenance of community-dwelling seniors’ health and well-being in Canada: A systematic review of trials. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 7, 29-37. Web.
Hass, A. Y., Moloney, C., & Chambliss, W. J. (2017). Criminology: Connecting theory, research and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.
Mills, E., & Arch, J. P. (2016). Gardens of Miami. Miami, FL: Steven Brooke Studios.
Murphy, D. A., Hart, A., & Moore, D. (2016). Shouting and providing: Forms of exchange in the drinking accounts of young Australians. Drug and Alcohol Review, 36(4), 442-448. Web.
Staub, J. (2016). Private gardens of South Florida. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith.