Community Assessment Project

 

 

NUR 422 Fall 2022

Community Assessment Project

Working in groups of 2-4 students

Although the communities being assessed are real, the problem and subsequent intervention presented are fictional.

 

Assignment: There is a concern in the Norristown School District that there may be an increase in students experiencing poor mental health (including depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, suicidal thoughts, undiagnosed mental health disorders such as eating disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia)

 

There has been an increase in missed days of school, worries about increased substance use, reports of bullying and cyberbullying in the schools. Coming back from the COVID pandemic, has presented its own set of problems and the school district has asked the Montgomery County Health Department to perform a community assessment to find the potential root causes of mental health concerns for the students in grades 9-12 so proper interventions and programming can be developed.

 

The school district consists of three municipalities: Norristown Borough, East Norriton and West Norriton townships. There is a kindergarten center, 6 elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school.  The district has asked the public health department for an assessment of Norristown Borough and East Norriton township to identify potential root causes for the increase in mental health concerns in the high school population. The health department has asked a group of community/public health nurses to complete this task

 

 

Evidence of the Problem (15%)

It is important before doing an assessment and subsequently developing a program to understand the scope and depth of the problem and to provide the evidence to justify the need for intervention. Utilize the resources below and at least 2-3 other peer reviewed studies to provide a 2-3 page explanation of the scope of the problem in the adolescent population

 

APA Council Manual: Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Youth Behavior Risk Surveillance Survey Trends Report

Healthy People 2030 Adolescent Health Objectives

Adverse Childhood Experiences

AAP Social Media and Adolescent Mental Health

Assessing Mental Health in Vulnerable Adolescents  (can download as a PDF for easier reading)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Assessment

History of the Community (05%)

Discuss the background/history of both East Norriton and Norristown Borough (No more than 2 paragraphs) each

• How did this community start? Where is it now
• Government structure (township, city, etc.)
• Significant events that happened in the communities
• Identify the state and federal representatives of the communities
• Key community stakeholders who may have interest in participating in project

 

The Windshield Survey: (20%) (NO CITATIONS HERE, IT IS BASICALLY WHAT YOU SEE WHILE DRIVING THROUGH THE 2 NEIGHBORHOODS)

Perform a windshield survey of both Norristown Borough and East Norriton Township

• Discuss what you observed in the ride through the community and the time of day (street names etc.)
• Describe the general appearance of the community, the condition of housing, the presence of stores/services (grocery stores, gas stations etc.) needed by the population.
• Describe the individuals observed (children, adults, young, old, etc.) when the windshield survey was done. Look at different areas of the community (parks, streets, bus/train etc.)

The following should be included in the windshield survey:

• Boundaries: natural and man made
• Location
• Urban vs. suburban vs. rural
• Residential vs. Commercial
• Types of Housing: Single family, multiple family units, row homes, apartment
• Condition of housing
• Industry and Commercial
• Presence
• Type of industry and/or commercial endeavors

Community services:  

• Recreation facilities; availability of free or low-cost facilities
• Youth Activities
• Parks and Green Spaces
• Transportation
• Access to health care
• Educational institutions
• Other educational resources (colleges, trade schools, after school programs)
• Religion andof places of worship
• Food availability and access: Groceries stores (supermarkets, small neighborhood stores, ethnic stores convenience stores, local co-ops, farmers markets etc.

 

 

 

Demographics (15%)

General Characteristics of both Norristown Borough and East Norriton Township

• Demographics: number and distribution by:
  • Population (total, age, gender, race, ethnic groups)
  • Language spoken in home
  • Household (Family/ Living Arrangements/Number of people own homes/Cost)
  • Educational level
  • Socioeconomic status (Salaries, Percentage of those living in poverty, unemployment)
  • Health Insurance
  • Computer/Internet Access in home
  • Crime Rates
  • Life Expectancy
  • Death and Birth Rates

 

         Compare and contrast the data found for both municipalities

The significance of the data must be presented. You must include 1 table and/or figure (in APA format)

 

 

 

 

 

School District (05%)

• Utilize available data through the school district website and other available resources to understand the environment, available resources, potential disparities and inequities and risk factors for poor mental health

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Report (20%)

 

Using published evidence and data discovered on the assessment prepare a report for the school district using the questions below to guide the report. Use evidence found in the literature and your assessment to support your conclusions

 

Impact of Mental Health on Health and Wellbeing

• What is the impact of poor mental health on overall health and well-being as an adolescent and as an adult?
• What role did /does the COVID-19 pandemic play in poor mental health in adolescents? Does it affect some populations greater than others

Potential Root Causes for Poor Mental Health

• What are three social determinants for Norristown Borough and for East Norriton that may place the students at risk for poor mental health. Are the social determinants the same for both municipalities? If not, why are they different? Think upstream

Risk Factors within the High School

• What issues/factors within the school setting may place the students at risk for poor mental health?

Vulnerable Populations

• What student populations in both municipalities are at risk for health inequities which may increase their risk for poor mental health?

Key Stakeholders

• Who are the potential community stakeholders that may be interested in becoming involved in this project?

Challenges to Creating Mental Health Wellness Programming

• What resources are already in place to assist students at risk for poor mental health
• What challenges will the school nurses/counselors/administrators in the high school face trying to develop mental wellness programming based on the data found on your assessment

Potential Interventions

• Choose two potential root causes for poor mental health in HS students in this community and LIST a primary, secondary, tertiary intervention for both problems.

 

 

“Back to the Bedside” (10%)

Each member of the group should include a PERSONAL reflection on how the information learned in this project will change the care they give “at the bedside” in any setting and any age group.  This should be at least one page and will be different for each student. Please include this at the end of your submitted paper. This is worth 10% of the paper, so be mindful and reflective of your response.

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Process (5%)

Please summarize the process used by the group to demonstrate that all members participated in ALL sections

 

APA Format and Grammar (05%).     Use APA 7^th edition

 

Document Specifics

• The paper must be written in APA format.
• Any APA questions can be found in the APA blog

https://blog.apastyle.org/

• There must be in-text citations to support the ideas presented.
• Utilize the writing center for help with the paper and/or APA format
• This paper is to be typewritten in 10 or 12 Times New Roman or Arial font and double-spaced paper.
• Although this is a group paper, it is a single submission meaning the paper must flow as if it was written by one person.
• The paper must be submitted to Ouriginal. Plagiarism will result in a failure for this paper. This includes parts of paper that require citations that are not properly cited.
• The paper should be a maximum of 10 pages.
• Assignment grade will receive 5 point deduction for each day it is late.
• All members of the group must submit the paper into the Canvas (reduction of 5 points if each person does not submit paper into Canvas by due date)