New Jersey Community Assessment Project Guidelines - Case Study Example

Community Assessment Project Details Introduction The of NewJersey has multiple health concern that need to be addressed by the federal government of the United State of America. It is a state within USA that lies along the eastern aged of the North America continent. The total area of this state is about nine thousand square kilometer. Due to its small size the community of New Jersey has a total population of around eight million people with an inhabitant of around 2000 people per square mile. However, while this offers the impression that New Jersey is entirely suburban or urban, it is not. Large swaths of northwestern and southern New Jersey are extremely rural. For example, the township of Walpack in the County of Sussex, has a population of 39 and an area of 26 square (Stansfield & Charles, 1998). The total sum up of education and health expenditure of this community is about sixteen percent of the American national expenditure respectively. Man-made and natural disasters and public health emergency are quite common in the rural settings of the New Jersey communities due to floods, drought, volcanic-eruptions, wet and dry mass movement and epidemic of communicable diseases.The health care system in New Jersey community has been improved overtime from a curative approach to a more preventive approach. This improvement is in correspondence to causes of morbidities and mortality in the state because most of the mortality incidence are due to communicable diseases that can be averted through access of basic health care services (Stansfield & Charles 1998). Physical consideration. New Jersey community has taken part in the global and national initiative to prevent diseases that arise due to physical environment. The major physical factors that are affecting the health of the New Jersey population in the urban setting are the hazardous chemicals and waste from the from industries and poor household and chemical management. Variability of rainfall in this county has contributed to frequent spread of waterborne diseases. This variation has rendered the prediction of some diseases like malaria, meningococcal meningitis diarrhea and other diseases that are related to water to be impossible (Docteur, 2003). An increase in the global mean temperature has brought about a conducive breeding environment vectors and consequent spread of vector-borne diseases of which malaria is the most common. The rivers of new jersey that include the Passaic river, Hudson river and Delaware river have steep gradient and the streams are very steep with very strong current thus this affect the habitat of vectors. Other water related issues include contamination by animal and human waste, risk of infection that is associated with stagnant water that are used in irrigation schemes. Some part of New jersey community have clay soil that has the tendency to form deep cracks during dry seasons therefore making it an excellent habitat for flies that transmit Leishmaniasis diseases (Docteur, 2003). Biophysical consideration. The average life expectancy of the New Jerseypopulation is approximately 65 years for male and 70 years for the female.The health status indicators of the community are among the lowest among fifty state of the American states. The mortality of infants and children under the age of five have declined in the past ten years in which the most significant decrease has been observed in the past five (Guyatt. et al, 2007). However, the mortality rate of under-five and infants is still relatively high compared to the other states in America such that one out of every fifteen children dies before it attains its sixth birth day. Under five mortality reduced by 10 per 1000 live births per annum between theyear 2003 and 2010. However, if the New Jersey community is to be on a sustained trend towards child survival it requires a decrease of five per a thousand live birth each year. The under-five and infant mortality rates of children from low income quintile and children from high income quintile are two and nine percent respectively. The rural/ urban difference in the rate of mortality is however much more pronounced. Infant mortality rate are ten and twelve percent in rural and urban areas respectively while the under-five mortality rate are six and three percent in rural and sub urban areas respectively (Guyatt et al, 2007). Children who are under the age of five years often experience two phases of illness every year on an average basis. This indicate that the environment’s pressure of infection is relatively high.The infant mortality rate is about seven percent live births, the mortality rate under the age of five is about onepercent and maternal mortality ratio is the lowest ranging from four to ninepercent t (Guyatt et al, 2007). New Jersey’s rate of mortality for cardiac surgery has shown a considerable amount of decline since the beginning of public awareness in 1994. The mortality rate of cardiac disorder was about two percent which is relatively lower than that of 2008 that was 3 percent. In New Jersey, the immunization performance is mixed. The number of children between the ages of twelve and twenty three who have received vaccination of various disease is relatively high at about one hundred percent. The performance of the New Jersey community on antenatal care and delivery care including tetanus toxoid vaccination is among the list performing in all the American states. One eighth of women in New Jersey and five percent of mothers of children who are less than three years of age have body mass indices that is less than 25 hence confirming that the level of deficiency is relatively high and chronic energy is quite low. It however largely reflect the efforts that was achieved through infant and maternal medication program (Moulton, 2010). Psychological Considerations Psychological issues and stigma is quite rampant in the New Jersey community. Majority of the population still find it difficult to address issues that are related to psychological health problems.Violence against women has had serious consequences for their physical and mental health in this community. Women or young girls who have been abused by their partner suffer from chronic health problems of various kind. In New Jersey, abused women are the ones that most likely suffer from psychosomatic system, sexual dysfunction, eating problems, depression and anxiety (Moulton, 2010). While much of this research comes from New Jersey, it is still not clear whether this portrays high prevalence of this incidence or simply the fact that this problem has had a greater visibility in this state than most part of the United State of America. For most women in New Jersey State, the most common places where sexual harassment and coercion are experienced are in schools and work place. Harassment of girls by rude boys is in all manner a problem across all parts of the globe (Moulton, 2010). In this community, five percent of girls had experienced sexual harassment while attending schools and this has greatly contributed to the increased rate of sexual health problems in this state. Recent studies have shown that most of the community members are very unwilling to accept and adhere to health advice because they fear being judged by their families, friends and others in the community (Moulton, 2010). Behavioral consideration. The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with alcohol use among high school students and mature adult within the New Jersey community. A study conducted among students from high school and those from colleges showed that about forty percent of these students drunk alcohol at least on a weekly basis. Description of the relationship between alcohol use and other important variables would usefully guide national policy and decision making on consumption patterns and how its impact could be mitigated. On a normal basis alcohol is consumed in social gatherings and among friends as a pass time activity and relaxation experience (Moulton, 2010). Alcohol consumption is only limited to individual who have attained eighteen year and above. As in other state of America the distribution and consumption of substances including alcohol and other drugs aresufficiently studied in New Jersey community (Moulton, 2010). Healthcare Considerations The health care system is under the ministry of health of the United State of America federal government and it is responsible for conducting integrated and routine surveillance. This is done to investigate and notify the government of any suspected disease epidemic and to take preventive measures before it causes havoc. Health care system of New Jersey has been improved over time from curative approach to a preventive methods (Moulton, 2010). The present health delivery system has been built of Primary Health Care unit from the bottom and can accommodate close to five million people out of the population of eight million people of New Jersey community. A single health center in New Jersey State can accommodate about five thousand people and has enough number of female and male extension workers as its staff who should have completed a ten year education program in the course of medicine with an extra one year of training in primary health care services. The department of health of the New Jersey community has a division of health facilities licensing and Evaluation. The objective of this division is to make sure the New Jersey community receive efficient health care services in health facilities that have been examined, approved and regulated by the division. To ensure this, the division investigate complaints received from the population and other agency of the federal state, Provides consumer information in the form of report cards and other performance information, Regulates and controls a wide variety of health care settings for quality health care, such as ambulatory care centers, nursing homes,hospitals, medical day care, home health care, andassists living residences. Certifies Nurse Aides, that includes performing background inspections and provide information to the community in form of report cards and other form of health centers service provision (Moulton, 2010). Identification of the high Priority issue based on data analysis. The major health concern that affect the population of New Jersey are heart related diseases(Docteur, 2003). The New Jersey Heart disease and stroke prevention program works together with the private and public organization and groups from health care and community to initiate and implement system level change. The other diseases that have affected the population of this community are malaria and tuberculosis. Malaria is also very much wide spread, about ten percent of the total New Jersey population is at the risk of acquiring malaria infection. Ten years ago only forty percent of the total populations of New Jersey slept under a bed- net in which only a considerable number were insecticide treated. Tuberculosis is also another communicable disease that has resulted into massive illness and in death in extreme case in the state of New Jersey. It is co- infectious with HIV and accounts for 3 percent of all deaths in the year 2000 and has a 45/100,000 incident ratio. Project Development. The overall training program of the New Jersey health workers population is relatively below the training needs and objectives of the United State of America. The state is forced to import medical personnel from other state to attend to critical conditions that some patients suffer from ((Guyatt et al, 2007).). Only four major higher education colleges or university training doctors and surgeons exist currently. In addition to there are only twenty nursing schools institution that provide a yearly training output of about three thousand nurses.. It is thus very important for the federal government to formulate policies that will ensure that doctors are trained well to attend to critical health issues such heart operations and brain surgery ((Guyatt et al, 2007).). The health center in New Jersey has very low number of hospital beds relative to its population. Currently there are approximately two hundred bed for every one thousand people in a single health center. The state government of New Jersey together with national aid from non-governmental and governmental organization should provide enough beds to concur with the objectives of the health people 2020 that requires that 10 hospital beds should be available for every one thousand population. The availability of drugs that are essential for treatment of some of the most common diseases should be available to the community. Although the provision of these drugs has greatly improved, the medical community of New Jersey together with the help of international organization should come up with an elaborate program that will ensure effective distribution of these drugs to the community (Guyatt et al, 2007). The program should ensure that all the sick individuals are provided the required medication in due time. One such intervention program can be achieved by lowering the cost of the medication.To improve on the amount of birth outcomes in rural and urban areas of New Jerseyand connect children and infant between one and three years to preventive healthcare services, CHCS has partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson and children future foundationfor a one year and three month project.The New Jersey Collaboration efforts to improve on birth outcomes and the general health status of infants and children was conducted under by the Best Clinical Practices (BCP) framework which is a program that is aimed to improve health services for people who are served by the publicly financed healthcare. The initial screening of patients done at the emergency department is needed. Patients should be transferred to the required department for advanced level of care or surgical procedures. Based on the available evidence there is relatively limited elaborate system of operations in emergency department of most health centers. One of the initiatives that is should be implemented by the state government is community based nutrition program that will help promote a health living for the community. The nutrition assessment among children should be regularly determined and the cases of poor and malnutrition reported to the relevant health post and centers. The other program that should be adopted by the state government of New Jersey is to partner with WHO and other NGOsbodies to educate the community on the best feeding program (Guyatt et al, 2007). New Jersey has made commitment to assist families that care for children with complex, long-term medical and development disability. For these children with special need are prompted to their conditions at an early stage thus ensuring that they lead healthier lives when they grow old. The department of health appointed by the governor of New Jersey is responsible for the implementation and development of an early stage intervention system for toddlers and infants who live with disabilities or development delay (Docteur, 2003). Conclusion The state government of New Jersey has implemented multiple intervention program that include training of medical personnel and health workers to improve on health service provision for the whole of the New Jersey community. The national ministry of health of the United State of America federal government has developed a guideline by which it manages health epidemic and so far about 20 diseases have been identified and are under regular surveillance. The health care system in New Jersey has been changed from recovery, rehabilitation and response to a more comprehensive methods that incorporates additional components such as prevention, preparedness and mitigation for any health epidemic. References Stansfield R & Charles A, 1998. A Geography of New Jersey: The City in the Garden. New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. Docteur E, 2003. "Reforming Health Systems in OECD Countries" (PDF). Presentation. Series in Partnership with NABE. OECD. 5(2). Page 20. Guyatt G.H. et al, 2007 "A systematic review of studies comparing health outcomes in Canada and the United States". Open Medicine1: 1. Moulton B, 2010. "How to use Posts Health Care Bill, Leaves out LGBT-Specific Provisions". Human Rights Campaign. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010. Read More