Research and create a comprehensive profile of a specific community, highlighting its demographic characteristics, social determinants of health, and existing health disparities. The data collected for this assessment will be used in the three assessments that follow.
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Introduction
Population health encompasses the distribution of health outcomes within a population, the health determinants that influence this distribution, and the policies and interventions that affect these determinants. Population health is comprehensive, encompassing both the sick and the well, the clinical and nonclinical, and the public and private sectors. You will learn that healthy populations create productive workforces and thriving communities, and that population health can be defined by geography and demographics. Key determinants of health include individual behavior, social influences, the physical environment, medical care, public health policy, and intervention.
Epidemiology plays a crucial role in understanding and addressing population health issues. As epidemiologists produce scientific evidence about health issues, they contribute to the World Health Organization’s definition of health as a state of complete well-being and not merely the absence of disease. We will explore the focus of population medicine on the health of groups of people, the concept of cohorts, and the different ways epidemiology is studied, including descriptive and analytic epidemiology. In doing so, you will gain insight into the objectives of epidemiology, such as determining the burden of disease among populations and evaluating health care services and interventions for improving population health and well-being.
The community health assessment and planning (CHAP) process is about improving the health and well-being of residents in a particular medical service area (MSA) that community hospital(s) serve. Every three years, community hospitals conduct a CHAP, that is, a community health needs assessment (CHNA), to determine the leading health priorities in the community. There are many examples of these assessments and plans published on the Internet. Hospitals engage with diverse partners and stakeholders across the community to lead this process.
This first assessment will help you understand the community’s unique health challenges and provide a foundation for developing targeted interventions important to the community health and assessment plan you will develop throughout this course. This assessment will involve gathering and analyzing data from various sources to gain a comprehensive understanding of the community, its health status, and the factors that influence it. The data you collect to complete this assessment will be used in the three assessments that follow, during which you will develop a complete CHAP.
Overview
For this assessment, you will research and create a comprehensive profile of a specific community, highlighting its demographic characteristics, social determinants of health, and existing health disparities. This assessment will help you understand the community’s unique health challenges and provide a foundation for developing targeted interventions important to the community health and assessment plan that you will develop throughout this course.
The community health assessment and planning (CHAP) process is about improving the health and well-being of residents in a particular medical service area (MSA) that community hospital(s) serve. Every three years, the community hospital(s) conduct a CHAP, that is, a community health needs assessment (CHNA), to determine the leading health priorities. There are many examples of these assessments and plans published on the Internet. The hospital(s) engage with diverse partners and stakeholders across the community to lead this process.
For this assessment, you will perform the first part of the CHNA: a community health profile. This involves gathering and analyzing data from various sources to gain a comprehensive understanding of the community, its health status, and the factors that influence it. This assessment is aimed at collecting data for the CHAP. The collected data will be used in the next three course assessments, during which you will develop a CHAP.
Preparation
Before you begin the assessment:
To begin the assessment, you must first choose a hospital or hospital system to profile.
You may choose any hospital or hospital system, but the medical service area you profile should be within one state, county, or city.
Review How to Classify a Hospital.
This video will walk you through the process of classifying a hospital.
Review the Assessment 1 Template: Community Health Profile [DOCX].
You will use this provided template to record your community health profile data.
Review the MS Word Tables Tutorial.
This resource will provide help with all of the templates in this course.
Review the Assessment 1 Tutorial.
This video will walk you through the assessment template.
Review the Assessment 1 Exemplar: Community Health Profile [PDF].
The exemplar is only for guidance; do not copy any information from the exemplar. All coursework must be original.
Instructions
Using the Assessment 1 Template: Community Health Profile [DOCX] file, complete the following steps. The Health Care Administration Undergraduate Program Library Guide: Find Data, Statistics & Reports resource may also help you with this part of the assessment.
Identify a hospital or hospital system, including city, state, county, ZIP code(s), IRS classification, service level, and bed size.
Support this data with references to primary sources.
Identify the demographic characteristics of a specific community, including all of these:
Population size.
Age.
Gender
Ethnicity.
Other socioeconomic data.
Identify the vital statistics for a specific community, including all of the following:
Birth rates.
Infant mortality rates.
Maternal mortality rates.
Death rates.
Identify the top five morbidity (illness) rates of a specific community.
Support this data with credible references.
Identify the top five mortality (death) for a specific community.
Support this data with credible references.
Identify three or more determinants impacting population health in a specific community.
Support this data with credible references.
Apply proper APA formatting and citation style as required.
Additional Requirements
Submit your assessment as an attachment in the submission area.
Your assessment should also meet the following submission requirements:
Written communication: Apply scholarly and professional communication skills consistent with expectations for the intended purpose. Offer academic citations or professional experiences as examples. Consider exploring the resources at the Writing Center and Academic Writer.
APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to APA style and formatting guidelines. Visit Evidence and APA for help with APA citations.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
Competency 2: Synthesize principles of epidemiology, population health, and community engagement to design effective interventions.
Identify a hospital or hospital system, including city, state, county, ZIP code(s), IRS classification, service level, and bed size.
Identify the demographic characteristics of a specific community, including size, age, gender, and ethnicity.
Identify the vital statistics for a specific community, including at least three of the following: birth rates, infant mortality rates, maternal mortality rates, or death rates.
Identify the top five morbidity (illness) rates for a specific community.
Identify the top five mortality (death) rates for a specific community.
Identify at least two other determinants impacting population health in a specific community.
Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and respectful of the diversity, dignity, and integrity of others and is consistent with expectations for health care professionals.
Apply proper APA formatting and citation style as required.
