Case Study: Community Assessment Of Rockingham County

Community Assessment of Rockingham County
Gerri Lineberry
Chamberlain College of Nursing
RN Community Health Nursing
NR443
Rondora Scott
September 25, 2014
Community Assessment of Rockingham County
Introduction
In an endeavor to bolster the health needs within a society such as a community, an effective community health nurse has to target the entire population. To achieve this goal, the community health nurse applies a scientific approach to determine the priority population focused health needs for that community. Just as Nies & McEwen (2011) depicts, a population focus assessment of the community is one of the primary tools utilized in order to cultivate planning, interventions, and evaluations for the community in need. The purpose
These local businesses, including various chained retailers are surrounded by a multitude of fast food restaurants. The population is noted to be healthy to overweight with increased amounts of smokers causing an alarming awareness and concerns for rising the already determined issue with heart related diseases documented by the 2013 SOTCH report. There are a few parks located on the outskirts of town with tracks to walk and playground areas for children, but there is only one place to perform exercise. There is also noted to be very small amounts of medical offices: two general practice physician offices, one podiatrist, one chiropractor, and three dentist offices, most individuals travel outside the town for medical services. When reaching outside the town limits, the environment is less hustle and bustle noting livestock and farmlands. But one overall variable is still noted, smoking and being
These modifications consists of diet change, increasing exercise, weight loss, smoking cessation, and stress reduction. With the incorporation of moderate exercising, risks can be decreased by 30-40% (5 steps to prevent heart disease, 2014). Notably, the greatest modifiable risk is smoking. Smoking decreases life-expectancy by approximately 20 years due to the detrimental effects it has on the human body (McEwen and Grothier, 2014). With the birth of this rural town noted on tobacco farming and still maintains a great deal of tobacco crops, these customs are passed down from generation to generation making this community still feel like these habits are acceptable. These modifiable risks are noted to be a visual problem within this community curtailing a serious lifestyle habit that promotes the rising rates of heart