In this module, you will finalize the completion of the full assessment of your own community.  

Defining the Community

Your community should be within a specifically designated geographic location.

One must clearly delineate the following dimensions before starting the process of community assessment:

• Describe the population that is being assessed?

• What is/are the race(s) of this population within the community?

• Are there boundaries of this group? If so, what are they?

• Does this community exist within a certain city or county?

• Are there general characteristics that separate this group from others?

• Education levels, birth/death rates, age of deaths, insured/uninsured?

• Where is this group located geographically…? Urban/rural?

• Why is a community assessment being performed? What purpose will it serve?

• How will information for the community assessment be collected?

Assessment

After the community has been defined, the next phase is assessment. The following items describe several resources and methods that can be used to gather and generate data. These items serve as a starting point for data collection. This is not an all-inclusive list of resources and methods that may be used when a community assessment is conducted.

The time frame for completion of the assessment may influence which methods are used. Nonetheless, these items should be reviewed to determine what information will be useful to collect about the community that is being assessed. It is not necessary to use all of these resources and methods; however, use of a variety of methods is helpful when one is exploring the needs of a community.

Data Gathering (collecting information that already exists)

Your submission should be a minimum of 2000 words (maximum 2500 words) in length and should completely answer the proposed questions as listed under “Define the community.” You should have a minimum of three (3) references.

APA formatting is required and all responses should be combined into a single document for submission. 

Demographics of the Community

• When demographic data are collected, it is useful to collect data from a variety of levels so comparisons can be made.
• If the population that is being assessed is located within a specific setting, it may be best to contact that agency to retrieve specific information about that population.
• The following resources provide a broad overview of the demographics of a city, county, or state:
• American Fact Finder—Find population, housing, and economic and geographic data for your city based on U.S. Census data
• State and County Quick Facts—Easy access to facts about people, business, and geography, based on U.S. Census data
• Obtain information about a specific city or county on these useful websites:
  • www.epodunk.com and www.city-data.com

Information from Government Agencies

• Healthy People 2020—this resource is published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It identifies health improvement goals and objectives for the country to be reached by the year 2020
• National Center for Health Statistics—this agency is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; this website provides statistical information about the health of Americans
  • National Vital Statistics System
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—The CDC website contains a large amount of information related to the health of the American population. The search engine within this website can be used to find relevant information
• Federal agencies with statistical programs
• Every state in the United States has its own specific health improvement plan and goals that are based on the Healthy People 2020 document. This information may be available on the state health department website.
• State and local health departments provide information related to vital statistics for the community.

Other Data Sources

• America’s Health Rankings—this website provides information about various health indicators for each state  
• Other relevant data sources may be found by conducting an Internet search related to the topic that is being examined through the community assessment.

After data are collected from various sources, it is important to review the information and to identify assets and areas for improvement in the community by comparing local data (if available) versus state and national data. This will facilitate organization of the information that has already been obtained and will provide direction for the next step of the process.

Based on the required topic study materials, write a reflection about worldview and respond to following:

1. In 250-300 words, explain the Christian perspective of the nature of spirituality and ethics in contrast to the perspective of postmodern relativism within health care.
2. In 250-300 words, explain what scientism is and describe two of the main arguments against it.
3. In 750-1,000 words, answer each of the worldview questions according to your own personal perspective and worldview:
   1. What is ultimate reality?
   2. What is the nature of the universe?
   3. What is a human being?
   4. What is knowledge?
   5. What is your basis of ethics?
   6. What is the purpose of your existence?

Remember to support your reflection with the topic study materials.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.