Sample Community Assessment Paper

Community Assessment
The purpose of this paper is to perform an assessment of my community, Circleville, Ohio. According to Nies and McEwen, it is crucial for a community health nurse to perform a community health assessment in order to care for patients the best way possible (2015). Throughout this paper I will discuss important factors of a community. The topics that I will discuss include a brief history of Circleville, demographic information, epidemiological data, health problems, and lastly I will identify a community health diagnosis.
Demographic and Epidemiologic Data
Circleville was founded in 1810. It is located in Pickaway County. The city was named Circleville because the town’s streets were built over a circular Hopewell Indian earthwork, forming a circle. Later the streets were changed to a more typical grid (“History of Circleville”, 2015). According to City-Data, the average age

It is important to be aware of issues in the community that the nurse resides or works in to better care for the residents. The first community health problem is the low median household income. According to City-Data, Circleville’s median income is $10,000 less that the Ohio average (2015). Families with lower incomes may be less likely to see a doctor for preventive care, afford important medications, and are more likely to be overweight or obese (Bennett, Probst, & Pumkam, 2011). The second issue apparent in the epidemiologic data is the high prevalence of deaths from heart disease (City-Data, 2015). Many of the risk factors for heart disease can be prevented; such as, a high-fat diet, lack of physical activity, obesity, and smoking. The last community health problem is lung cancer. The community nurse should be performing screenings to find those at a higher risk for lung cancer, as well as educating the community on smoking