Title of Paper
Student Name
University Name
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Community Health Needs Assessment & Improvement Plan
Academic essays should begin with an introduction, but do not begin your paper with an “Introduction” heading. The introduction will provide readers with the context necessary for understanding your argument and the body of your paper. When composing the introduction, think about what context or background information the reader would benefit from knowing. Once your context is established, transition from that context into your thesis statement. The thesis statement generally comes at the end of your introduction and usually consists of a few sentences that sum up the argument for your paper overall. Thesis statements should also provide a roadmap for the reader so that they can navigate through the ideas present in the rest of your paper. You will be adding to this introduction as you progress through the term and add different sections.
Community Description
This will be the part of the paper where you describe the basics of your community. This is going to include your total population size, demographic distribution, and socioeconomic characteristics. Please complete the table below with either county and state information or state and nation characteristics. In a paragraph, you should provide a summary of the information you put together from your research. Consider how your community differs from the state or the nation. Only two columns need to be completed either County and State or State and Nation. All data for the following tables can be found using https://data.census.gov/ Simply put in the name of your state and/or county and race/ethnicity, age groups, median income, mean income, and education. Each search will take you to a different table that you can use to complete the table below.
Table 1. Community demographics and economic comparisons.
| County | State | Nation | |
| Race/Ethnicity | |||
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | |||
| Asian | |||
| Black (non-Hispanic) | |||
| Hispanic/Latino/Latina or Latinx | |||
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | |||
| White (non-Hispanic) | |||
| Age Groups | |||
| Under 18 | |||
| 18-44 | |||
| 45-64 | |||
| 65+ | |||
| Economic & Education | |||
| Mean Household Income | |||
| Median Household Income | |||
| Less Than High School Graduate |
Health Challenges
In this paragraph, you are going to visit County Health Rankings (https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/). Please enter the name of your state or your selected county. Check the box noted show areas to explore under County Snapshot. A number of characteristics will be highlighted. In this paragraph, discuss three different areas where the county needs to improve and discuss the numbers in comparison to the state or nation. Select one health topic to focus on for the remainder of your paper.
Health Disparity
Public health does not have unlimited funds to address every population equally. In this paragraph, please define what a health disparity is using appropriately credible sources. Next, answer which communities usually suffer from health disparities in the US using credible sources.
Disproportionate Impact
Examine the county demographics, education, and economics. For your selected health issue, is there an age group, race/ethnic group, or economically disadvantaged group that experiences this issue at a higher rate than other groups? Please use the online library to search for research on your health topic. Look for groups that are disproportionately high for the selected health condition and describe that here.
(STOP; this is the first part of your Critical Thinking Portfolio Assignment. You will add to this in the coming weeks. Please make edits, corrections, and updates to this section once you have been given feedback from your instructor.)
References
Darlin, D. (2014, August 5). How to talk about America’s newest arrivals. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/upshot/how-to-talk-about-americas-newest-arrivals.html
Devereaux, A. (2015). Pandemic influenza: An evolutionary concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 71(8), 1787–1796. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12654
Kinderman, P. (2019). A manifesto for mental health: Why we need a revolution in mental health care. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24386-9
Lundgren, B., & Holmberg, M. (2017). Pandemic flus and vaccination policies in Sweden. In C. Holmberg, S. Blume, & P. Greenough (Eds.), The politics of vaccination: A global history (pp. 260–287). Manchester University Press.
Wu, J., Cai, W., Watkins, D., & Glanz, J. (2020, March 22). How the virus got out [Interactive infographic]. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/22/world/coronavirus-spread.html