The Community of Focus: Berwyn Heights - Essay Example

?Guidelines Community Assessment Project and Paper Introduction Berwyn Heights is a town in the Prince George’s County, in Maryland. This is near Ohio and Baltimore railroad and is home to urban middle class families. It has a multicultural community predominantly comprising of Whites with African Americans, Asians and Hispanics as minorities. A wide income and lifestyle disparity was observed in the community on the basis of ethnic origins. It was also observed that the town has a very high crime rate and incidence of drug and alcohol abuse, especially among the African American youth. So, the group found it interesting and fruitful to study and explored further the reasons for this problem faced by the town. Central lssue of the Community Diagnosis The community suffers from a high incidence of drug and alcohol abuse, especially among the teenagers and young adults. This was made clear from the available statistics and data in the public domain. This is partially due to the increased drug related crimes, and partially due to the lack of awareness and education among the ethnic minority community. While exact and specific data are not available for Berwyn Heights, a 1999 National Household survey had reported that 5.2 percent of the population of Maryland has abused drugs in the past month. Among those who reported drug abuse, majority comprised of the ages between 18 and 25 (Drug Alcohol Rehab, 2007). Majority of them had used marijuana followed by cocaine. Another survey, The Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), also found that the State had a higher number of alcohol abuse. This was calculated on the basis of admission to the government treatment centers which increased to 59,091 in 1995 from a lesser number of admissions (56,885) in 1994. Some studies have pointed out that drug abuse is down among Berwyn Heights. Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) which is located in Baltimore conducted a study that found that there was an overall decrease in emergency admissions from 15863 in 1994 to 14171 in 1991 for Maryland, and much of the decline was attributed to decline in Berwyn Heights. Also, an Adolescent Survey in Maryland highlighted the fact that 6 to 8 graders drug abuse declined by 51% but, it was on the rise for teens. 63% of the Teenage students reported abusing drugs and 44.1 % reported abusing alcohol in the recent past (Drug Alcohol Rehab, 2007). While the above statistics are mostly State Level, a close observation of Berwyn Heights highlighted that incidence of drug and alcohol abuse was high among the African American young males. It was also found that the local government has initiated many crime control programs like Operation Convoy, Jetway and Pipeline that increased checks and controls on the movement of vehicles on land and water. There are however, very few community level non-governmental or governmental support groups that can provide awareness, education and preventive advice to the local community. Literature review A national household survey conducted using 4023 adolescents in the ages between 12 and 17 found that a leading cause of substance abuse was childhood physical and sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. This research also established that African American ethnic minority youth for at a higher risk of substance abuse than Whites and other ethnic minority groups (Kilpatrick et al, 2000). In a follow up study in 2003, the researchers Kilpatrick et al again found that the risk factors for ethnic youth were higher. Another national scale research found that there is a lack of availability of mental health care and alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment facilities for African Americans (Wells, 2001). Another research that was based on a collection of historical data on a large number of people belonging to African American community, it was found that this community was more likely to indulge in substance and drug abuse as a result of what the authors called Historical Trauma (Heart, 2003). This trauma is the result of generations of suffering ethnic discrimination. In another research directed exclusively at understanding the socio-cultural and ethnic factors that contributed to substance abuse among African American youth found that any intervention program for the community needs to take into account these factors (Cherry et al, 1998) The above literature review therefore highlights the fact that in any local community, the ethnic minorities and especially African Americans are more vulnerable to substance abuse risks. This is attributed to the socio-economic factors as well as to the lack of availability of preventive interventions. Conclusions The Berwyn Heights community is substantially segregated which makes it difficult for youth from African American and other minorities to access mental healthcare and substance abuse interventions. The local government is treating the substance abuse problem from the crime perspective and not as a community healthcare issue. As such, there is little availability of education or awareness programs or interventions targeted at the most vulnerable section of the community. Recommendations There is a need for developing a wholistic approach to dealing with the problem of substance abuse. The rationale is that substance abuse is not just the result of drug trafficking and hence should not be seen just as a criminal offense. Instead it needs to be treated as a health issue and preventive measures need to be put in place. The first step that needs to be undertaken is the development of policies that acknowledge the healthcare needs of the minority community. The next step would be to develop a database of substance abusers and collect their information so that adequate resources could be allotted for the setting up prevention programs and clinics. Next, a wholistic program plan needs to be developed that should involve government, local community, schools and non-government organizations. The roles of each of these stakeholders need to be defined so that the vulnerable youth could be provided with awareness, education and preventive intervention. Also, healthcare professionals and social workers need to be involved in the program of treatment and rehabilitation of those affected with substance abuse. There is a probability that the town would not have sufficient funding or manpower to follow up on a wholistic intervention for substance abuse. However, it is recommended that local community level awareness and lobbying could get the town the necessary resources References Cherry,V.R., Belgrave, F. Z., Jones, W., Kennon, D. K., Gray, F. S., & Phillips, F. (1998). NTU: An Africentric approach to substance abuse prevention among African American youth. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 18(3), 319-339. Heart,M.Y.H.B. (2003). The historical trauma response among natives and its relationship with substance abuse: A Lakota illustration. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 35(1), 7-13. Kilpatrick, D. G., Acierno, R., Saunders, B., Resnick, H. S., Best, C. L., & Schnurr, P. P. (2000). Risk factors for adolescent substance abuse and dependence: data from a national sample. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 68(1), 19. Kilpatrick, D. G., Ruggiero, K. J., Acierno, R., Saunders, B. E., Resnick, H. S., & Best, C. L. (2003). Violence and risk of PTSD, major depression, substance abuse/dependence, and comorbidity: Results from the National Survey of Adolescents. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 71(4), 692. Wallace, J. M., & Muroff, J. R. (2002). Preventing substance abuse among African American children and youth: Race differences in risk factor exposure and vulnerability. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 22(3), 235-261. Wells, K., Klap, R., Koike, A., & Sherbourne, C. (2001). Ethnic disparities in unmet need for alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental health care. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(12), 2027-2032. Appendix: Community Assessment and Intervention Planning Guide: The Community as a Client (Dimension Model, Clark, 2008) The Community of Focus: Berwyn Heights, Maryland, 20740 1. Physical Dimension 1.1 Community location (boundaries, urban/rural):  Location: 38°59?38?N 76°54?44?W Boundaries: West - College Park  Northeast - Greenbelt  Southwest -  East Riverdale  South- Riverdale Park . Neighborhoods: Lakeland – low lying neighborhood around the Ohio and Baltimore railroad and near the lake Artemesia. This is home to mostly lower income African American families Daniels Park – This is also an urban neighborhood for upper middle class families The Hollywood Park – caters to largely the modern upper class households 1.2 Size and Density:  Total Area = 0.69 miles square (all land) 1.3 Topographical features: Elevation – 69 ft No water bodies 1.4 Housing (type, condition, adequacy, number of persons per dwelling, sanitation): Housing Types There were 1,051 housing units at an average density of 1,523.2 per square mile (588.1 /km2) Number of persons per dwelling: average of 2.79 persons per dwelling 1.5 Safety factors present in the environment: Source of community water supply: Integrated regional water supply is used for the local communities Sewage and waste disposal The public works department ensures that household and other waste is collected and recycled as much as possible. Nuisance factors: Illegal drug peddlers Alcohol abuse A higher crime rate 7% higher than whole of Maryland and 39% higher than the national average Potential for disaster Natural disasters 2. Psychological Dimensions 2.1 Significant events in community history: The most significant even was the raid on the house of the mayor of the town related to illicit drug trafficking drug Interaction of groups within the community (ethnic tension, disparity among income groups, etc): Mostly segregated living but peaceful co-existence Protective services (adequacy, local crime rates): The crime index is found to be 7% more than that of Maryland, which itself is very high compared to the national average. The Maryland crime index is 32% more than the national average. But violent crime rate much lower in this local community, at 44% lower than that of Maryland average. But, violent crime rate in Berwyn Heights is still much higher, at 32% higher than the national average Property crime index too is higher than the national average by 43%. The local police department is understaffed and does not have sufficient resources Sources of stress in the community: High Crime Rate Local Drug Gangs and Drug Trafficking Alcohol Abuse Under Insured Healthcare Higher level of pollution (which is 108.5% higher than Maryland state average and 128.5% higher than the national average). Extent of mental health problems in the community: No specific data available Most mental healthcare is focused on drug and alcohol abuse 3. Social Dimensions 3.1 Government (type, effectiveness, community officials): The local government consists of the Mayor and council members and a town administrator It has a police department and a public works department 3.2 Unofficial leaders: None 3.3 Political affiliations of community members: None 3.4 Status of minority groups (influence, length of residence): The minority communities have little influence and all elected officials in the government belong to the White Majority community. 3.5 Languages spoken by community members: English 3.6 Community income levels: Median Household Income - $65,744 Median Family Income - $69,013 Median Income Males - $42,525 Median Income Female - $34,831 Per Capital Income - $25,793 Families Below Poverty Line - 0.9% Population Below Poverty Line - 5.5% Under 18 Below Poverty Line – 0.5% Over 65 Below Poverty Line - 1.6% 3.7 Education (prevailing levels, attitudes, resources): It is served by the Prince George's County Public Schools Schools include the Berwyn Heights Elementary School, Greenbelt Middle School and Parkdale High School 3.8 Culture/s (affiliations, influence on health): There is a large number of Asians in the community who seem to follow a healthier diet, which is often vegetarian But, the African American community largely seems to suffer from obesity owing to south style diet. 3.9 Employment levels: Unemployment rate: 0.98% in male 2.94% in females (8.3% is the national average for same year 2010) 3.10 Transportation (type, availability, cost, adequacy): College Park Airport and Highways connect the city to other parts of the State Metro Line is easily available and cost effective. It has sufficient capacity 3.11 Shopping facilities: There are many shopping facilities 3.12 Social services (type, availability, adequacy, use): 16.6% of all organizations working in the community are related to healthcare or social work. Some of the organizations operating in the community include – Habitat for Humanity VA facilities American Red Cross Society Salvation Army Senior Housing Association 3.13 Occupational hazards Construction work related injuries 4. Biophysical dimension Births (annual rate as a proportion such as x/100,000): No data available but fertility rates are 4.1 Age and Gender Age Gender Male - 52.4% (1665 male) Female - 47.6% (1458 female) Age: Median age of 34.9 years Read More