Introduction
The community selected for the analysis is East Point, located northwest of Atlanta, Georgia. It is a diverse urban community, home to people of various ethnic groups and races. The city is comparatively small, with a population of 38,358 people (“Vision statement,” 2023).
The first settlement in the area was founded in 1870 by 16 families (“Vision statement,” 2023). The name East Point was given because of the West Point Railroad, which was located near Atlanta (“Vision statement,” 2023). The location has an attractive historic character, and the community, especially its older parts, features brick ranch-style homes, tree-lined streets, and distinctive decorations (“Vision statement,” 2023). At first glance, the selected community is similar to others found in the country.
Survey Findings
The community analysis is performed through a Windshield Survey, which involves direct observation. Thus, Highwood Park was selected as the research and assessment site. It is one of the city’s most problematic areas with the highest crime rates, which explains its choice (“East Point, GA (Highwood Park),” n.d.). In general, the findings support the official statistics. The neighbors in Highwood Part are mainly low-income, as seen in the streets and decorations.
Additionally, no expensive cars were found on the roads during the trip. The children met on the streets can easily be identified as those living below the federal poverty line because of their clothes, overall appearance, and occupations. A comparative number of people with visible mental health symptoms were met.
Vulnerable Population Description
In this way, it is possible to acknowledge that the community has several vulnerable population groups. People from low-income households are among the cohorts facing critical issues. The lack of financial resources and the poor distribution of resources among individuals lead to higher crime rates and lower social trust (De Courson & Nettle, 2021).
At the same time, the vulnerability of the group is evidenced by the high incarceration rates among East Point residents, and especially Highwood Park representatives, and the risks of developing mental health diseases (“East Point, GA (Highwood Park),” n.d.). Most representatives of the vulnerable group consider themselves Sub-Saharan African (22.4%), African, or having Jamaican roots (“East Point, GA (Highwood Park),” n.d.). In such a way, the marginalized cohort consists mainly of African Americans.
The vulnerability of the discussed population group is shaped by several factors that should be considered. Inequality is one of the drivers of violent crime, which explains the complex situation in the community (Dong et al., 2020). Furthermore, there is a direct correlation between incarceration rates and community mental health (Ramezaniet al., 2022). It means that people who commit crimes and are punished for them have a higher risk of acquiring severe mental illness. Individuals convicted to prison might also suffer from the worsening of already existing mental symptoms (Cunha et al., 2023). It means that the vulnerability is linked to existing social conditions, such as low income, high crime and incarceration rates, and a complex situation in the location.
The problems mentioned above can be addressed by using community resources. Marginalized groups are significantly affected by social determinants of health peculiar to the society (Siddiqui et al., 2022). For this reason, using available community resources might help promote positive change. It might imply public support, training, cooperation, and communication (Siddiqui et al., 2022). For instance, in East Point, the education level of the population remains high compared with other locations (Siddiqui et al., 2022). It means that local schools can be used to cultivate awareness of mental health, the early signs of disease, and methods that might help prevent a critical deterioration in quality of life.
Conclusions
In this way, the nursing assessment of the community and its specific findings help formulate the following ideas. First, social determinants have a critical impact on individuals’ health. People with low-income backgrounds more often suffer from mental health issues compared to other groups.
Additionally, poverty and the unequal distribution of wealth lead to higher crime rates and increase the chances of being imprisoned. That is why East Point, and especially Highwood Park, suffer from violent crimes and the worsening of the community’s health associated with it. The results also show that needs assessment is an essential tool for acquiring a clear understanding of current needs and for developing ways to address them.
Finally, the findings are essential for the practicum and the future career. They provide evidence that the decline in the health of vulnerable groups cannot be considered separately. It is a systemic problem arising from the neighborhood’s overall state and quality of life.
For this reason, interventions to improve people’s well-being should focus on existing challenges, the methods to address them, and the community resources available. Otherwise, there is a high risk of failure and the deterioration of the current issue. The practical methods should be multifaceted and consider the current landscape of issues, how they might evolve, and the root causes of the undesired situation.
References
Cunha, O., Castro Rodrigues, A., Caridade, S., Dias, A. R., Almeida, T. C., Cruz, A. R., & Peixoto, M. M. (2023). The impact of imprisonment on individuals’ mental health and society reintegration: study protocol. BMC Psychology, 11(1), 215.
De Courson, B., & Nettle, D. (2021). Why do inequality and deprivation produce high crime and low trust?Scientific Reports, 11(1), 1937.
Dong, B., Egger, P. H., & Guo, Y. (2020). Is poverty the mother of crime? Evidence from homicide rates in China. PloS One, 15(5).
East Point, GA (Highwood Park). (n.d.). NeighborhoodScout.
Ramezani, N., Breno, A. J., Mackey, B. J., Viglione, J., Cuellar, A. E., Johnson, J. E., & Taxman, F. S. (2022). The relationship between community public health, behavioral health service accessibility, and mass incarceration. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 966.
Siddiqui, S., Morris, A., Ikeda, D. J., Balsari, S., Blanke, L., Pearsall, M., Rodriguez, R., Saxena, S., Miller, B. F., Patel, V., & Naslund, J. A. (2022). Scaling up community-delivered mental health support and care: A landscape analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 10.
Vision statement. (2023). EastPoint.