Running Head: Final Paper 1

Final Paper
Name
Institution of Affiliation
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Introduction

A community is a group of people residing in a particular place, sharing particular

interests, or social ties. They share certain features that are common amongst them such as

speaking a similar language, having common cultural practices, residing in a particular

geographical area and sometimes religion, (Scott et al., 2016). However, it should be noted

communities are not homogenous in all aspects, therefore certain traits may not necessarily be

common like speaking the same language or following a specific religion.

Community assessments are necessary as they are used to develop, evaluate and

implement plans or systems for better service delivery for a particular place such as healthcare

services, (Nøhr et al., 2014). A simple method utilized by public health nurses to obtain

information about a community is through conducting a windshield survey. This approach gives

autonomous figures and independent assessment of various features and major characteristics of

a place as one traverses the community (either by walking or driving). The general objective of

conducting a community assessment to give critical information on a place, needs and current

problems that could be prevailing. Several aspects are evaluated to present conclusive and

comprehensive profile, data and statistics of a specific community (Haas et al., 2014). This paper

evaluates information on the health set up, problems, needs, and visions of the community in

Hohenwald (Lewis County), Tennessee. Zipcode: 38462. Besides conducting a windshield

survey in this project, extra data and information were retrieved from peer-reviewed articles and

national and state levels government’s databases.

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Geographical description.

This paper focuses on the Hohenwald community which located within Lewis County

and occupies a space of 198.3 square miles. Lewis was found in 1843 by Meriwether Lewis Of

the Lewis and Clark expedition. Lewis County is located near Tennessee center about 80 miles

southwest of Nashville. The area is a small town, consisting of about 10,169 people as its

population. The community that establishes itself within the Hohenwald town, ("City search

results," n.d.).

2019 census data shows that by 2019, they were 10,654 housing units in Hohenwald

town, which 6754 households resided, and the average house cost in Hohenwald was $103,200,

("ABCs of real estate," n.d.). The average household income was projected to be $38,432.

According to the United States Commerce Department 2019,” between 2009 and 2019, persons

living below the poverty level was 19.8%, which is higher than the state level of 16.9%”. Also

according to the information found in city data-com reveals about 48% of housing units found in

this community were constructed before 1974, 23.19 are more than 55 years old and 17.54%

were constructed after 1999, ("U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts: Lewis County, Tennessee,"

n.d.). Most of the housing units are old requiring repair while the majority of homes have wood

sidings with old paintings. One can observe in some parts of this community a few homes that

are deserted, also made up of old woods. Most of the yards require repair and maintenance.

Generally, it can be suggested that the occupants come from different age groups and could be

living at poverty levels. Housing conditions in some areas are deplorable, with many families

living in run-down shacks or condemned apartment buildings”, (US Census Bureau, 2018).

Within some older apartments, there are furnished homesteads, these are historical places. They

are few housing units which have been constructed recently in the last 15 years. They look well
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maintained and are made up of bricks and all currently occupied. As per information obtained

from city-Data, 23 housing units were constructed between 2010 and 2019. The town is

characterized by little pollution and noise, because of its being located in a rural area it consists

of a lesser population compared to nearby urban towns.

At the time of the survey Hohenwald, the community had 8 apartment complexes: 3 of

them were used by elderly persons on a subsidized rent and the other 3 were rented to families on

governmental assistance. Several mobiles housing units are evident at almost every part, streets

or along roadways in this community. Outskirts of Hohenwald community is open with housing

units widely spaced along main roads. Additionally, old structures can also be observed along

these major roads. Patches of forestry vegetation and 3 steams join the main highway as you exit

the community area. Roads leading out of the town are all two lanes, with an exception of the

highway leading to the main interstate about 50 miles away, which is a 4 lanes highway. There is

a railway line passing through as the town limits end, however, the train comes by on a weekly

basis to this community.

Hohenwald community consists of a relaxed population, with most of them being females

and children. It evident from data collected and from the national census 2019 database a larger

portion of the community population is the elderly, young mothers and preschoolers. Presence of

high number of elderly people in this community is an evidence of low birth and death rates

Majority ethnic group is Caucasian, "City search results," n.d.).

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Windshield Survey
Demographic description.

("City search results," n.d.)

("City search results," n.d.)

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("City search results," n.d.)

According to the City data-com statistic database, Lewis County's total population was

projected at 10,169 with varied families, this is an increase of 5.5% in total population from what

was recorded in 2010. The community population growth is relatively lower than that of State

government of 10.45% and also lower than that federal government one of 8.6%. Females make

a higher percentage of 53.4% while else 47.6%, ("City search results," n.d.). 24.4% of the

community total population is below the 18years old and 16.6% falls above the age of 60 years.

This community is not varied in terms of ethnicity as the majority of the members are Caucasian

at 99.4%, 1.6% are African American, 2.1 are Hispania and 1.3% are the other races.

The community experiences a little amount of traffic in town and a sparse population of

pedestrians due to its being a rural area. However it can be observed on weekends the

community experiences a hive of activities, consisting of persons doing shopping at local shops,

running errands or persons having normal weekend outs with friends.

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Issues / concerns

In this community religion is one of the most important issues, with Christianity the

major religion. There are about 40 Christian churches, of which only 4 are catholic, 2 Jehovah's

Witness and 1 Seventh Day Adventist church. The majority of the population go to these

churches to look for assistance, considering the fact it is a relatively smaller town with many

churches.

Healthcare issues are one of the concerns in the Hohenwald community. As the majority

of the population does not go for medical checkups regularly unless it is necessary. Disparities

within the healthcare set up are common in the community as a result of the rural location of the

area, low standards of living, unhealthy behavior and economic status. From the community

center location, the nearest Health facility is 40 miles away in Columbia, Maury Regional

Medical Center (MRMC), and the largest one in the community. However, there are other

smaller hospitals about 20-40 miles away within the nearby towns, though they are emergency

access hospitals. In general Hohenwald, the community is characterized by few healthcare

facilities, which is also true according to a study done by, (Probst et al., 2016), which states that

most of the rural areas have inadequate hospitals for efficient patient care. Besides, Hohenwald

community experiencing a limited number of healthcare facilities, there have been reported more

cases of cardiovascular diseases and obesity in this community, (Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention, 2020). Members of the community when diagnosed with the chronic ailment are

referred to MRC hospital, the biggest hospital in the community having special care services.

According to the ("National center for health statistics," 2020), the majority of death cases in

this community which is about 56% of total deaths were a result of chronic ailments.
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The common transport means used in this community include a public transport service

that is managed by the South Central Human Resource Agency, the use of private vehicles,

motorcycles and bicycles. Those within the community who can’t access the above-mentioned

means use vans as a transport means which charge them a particular fee per distance moved.

Most roads in the community have pedestrian paths that are accessible and well maintained.

The education set up of this community consist of 2 high schools, 1 intermediate school,

2 middle schools, and 1 elementary school. Students from the community access learning centers

by use school buses, walking to and fro, or boarding private vehicles. Columbia State

Community College is the nearest training college to Hohenwald town, which is established in

Columbia about 40 miles from the community, (National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

Department of Education, n.d.). Additionally, there is an IT center where children from the

community go to learn technology skills.

Strengths / assets

The potential that is available in the Hohenwald community has contributed towards the

success of the community healthcare. Individual members within this community of this

community exhibit personal assets that include talents, professional experience of members and

skills. The majority of the persons in this community had some skills as observed that could help

them offer first aid services before one could access healthcare facilities. Within the community,

they are widespread business enterprises. These assets are crucial in the progress of any

community, (Paina & Peters, 2011). Moreover, the community has an association of business

and a cultural association. These associations offer back to the community by using amassed

resources like gatekeeping and leadership within the community. Learning centers within the
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community have also contributed to the creation of a skilled labor pool. A pool of skilled labor is

very important in the progress of any community, (Knight et al., 2011).

Weakness

Risk Behaviors

Besides the strengths outlined above, the Hohenwald community is faced with some

inadequacies. Hohenwald community undoing includes: most of the members of the community

are ignorant to attend healthcare classes organized by medical professionals from within the

community, lack of up to date scanning machines in the health facilities and the ever-increasing

community population against the resources in this town. It is evident from the observation made

during this survey majority of the people could not attend medical seminars as they assumed to

have all information with them. Also, it was noted that though the community has fully

functional healthcare institutions, they too have limited crucial machines necessary for efficient

patient care.

Also, Hohenwald community as observed is facing challenges in its public service area.

In this community there completely no recreational sites such as YMCA or arboretums that can

be used during leisure time. Though there is a small playground for children, 2 public swimming

pools, 8 ball fields, and a walking path. Children can get extra recreational activities when in

school but this limited when out of school. There are inadequate daycare facilities in Hohenwald

community; there 2, one privately owned while else the other is managed by the community IT

Centre. Community members are forced to use private daycares which hold up to 5 children

only.
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Status of employment.

The Hohenwald community's socioeconomic status is largely disadvantaged and this has

a spiral effect on the community living, residence and working states. Certain services are

limited in this community. Good examples are; only 2 insurance agencies are present, a sheriff’s

department, 3 banks, and 4 automotive repair centers. Major players in the national economy are

almost void in this community. Industry based enterprises observed were less than then and

merely they could employ more than 40 employees at each enterprise. Hohenwald community

members who cannot secure a job locally within the community have to move out of the town

for employment about 40 miles away. This kind of socioeconomic disparity is great in the

Hohenwald community. This is true because according to, (Classen & Dunn, 2011), the majority

of rural areas have been deprived of industrial jobs as companies moved to larger cities and

developing counties with favorable business environments.

Another challenge facing Hohenwald town is that does not have a well-distributed

infrastructure and they may be people residing away from the main roads who could have

challenges if an emergency occurs. As per, (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020),

most deaths are due to chronic ailments in this community which is not identified at an early

stage. Cardiovascular diseases were the leading cause of deaths in Lewis County. Limited

infrastructure could be contributing to the high percentage of deaths by hearth related diseases.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the community of Hohenwald is diverse and a small town situated in

Lewis County. The objective of this survey was to evaluate different aspects of the area by

conducting a community assessment using the Windshield survey method. There is a great

disparity in this community in several aspects as outlined above. Driving through this community
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was a great ordeal it got to open my eyes to the challenging aspects and the community within

them. For Hohenwald, community healthcare is a contentious issue and of great concern to the

leadership of the area. A lot of effort is required to solve evident problems facing this community

now and future issues.

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References

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(2020, April 3). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/index.htm

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(n.d.). National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the U.S.

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National center for health statistics. (2020, April 3). Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/index.htm
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Nøhr, C., Sørensen, E. M., Gudes, O., Geraghty, E. M., Shaw, N. T., Bivona-Tellez, C., &

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