Demographics Assessment
Approximately 663,862 people live in Sentinel City (SC) and are divided into four neighborhoods: Acer Tech Center, Nightingale Square, Industrial Heights, and Casper Park District. Nightingale Square has a total of 103,974, Acer Tech Center has 168,390, Casper Park District has 352,643, and Industrial Heights host up to 38,855 residents. The city’s demographic breakdown by age is 7.4% under five years old, 21.7% 5-18 years old, 10.5% over sixty-five years old and the highest percentage of the population, 60.4%, are between 19 and 64 years old.
Sentinel City’s gender proportion composition is 80.6% Caucasian, 10.4% African American, 2.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.7% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander, 3.1% mixed race, and 31.5% Hispanic or Latino (“Sentinel city® v. five community and population health virtual simulation,” n.d.). The median income per household is as follows: Nightingale Square at $269,550, Acer Tech Center at $166,300, Casper Park at $80,134, Industrial Heights at $24,672, and 18.9% below the poverty level. The proportion of uninsured citizens is as follows: 0.7% Nightingale Square, Acer Tech Center 1.5%, Casper Park District 22.7%, and 37.5% Industrial Heights.
Assessment of Neighborhood Safety
Trash cans can be spotted everywhere across Industrial Heights, from the school district streets to the bodega store. The structures are old, and many of them have been deserted (“Sentinel city® v. Five Community and Population Health Virtual Simulation,” n.d.). In addition, there is graffiti all over the region on the majority of the buildings. There is rubbish on the side, and a rat can be seen racing over the trash-infested alley and sidewalks. In the vicinity, there are homeless people and stray dogs. Casper Park District is densely populated with graffiti-covered abandoned structures. There is rubbish on the streets and sidewalks, and a rat is running about it. Just like in Industrial Heights, stray dogs are spotted roaming around. Convicted criminals in the area to complete a rehabilitation program are part of the city’s safety demographic. In addition, homeless people are seen living on the avenues.
Arrest for possession or use of a prohibited drug accounts for 16%. In the parks, narcotics are a common issue raising many complaints. The report’s rate has fluctuated between 10 and 25 % for the past five years, although only recently have the figures significantly reduced to 10%. The Emergency medical services (EMS) reaction time is 7.46min. The crime rate in the city is 3,605-3 per 100,000 residents. Battery rated at 17% is the most prevalent arrest stated by the police at the city hall. In addition, 23 % were a response to warrants, 16 % prohibited substances, 6% public intoxication, 6% careless conduct, 9% trespassing, and 23% other criminal acts. The rate of violent crime in the city is 311.1 per 100,000 residents (“Sentinel city® v.5 community and population health virtual simulation,” n.d.).
There are gang-related acts of violence in SC, including homicide, aggravated attack, basic attack, and theft. 2020 statistical report showed 20 manslaughters, 100 provoked attacks, 40 violent robberies, and 38 non-violent assaults (“Sentinel city® v.5 community and population health virtual simulation,” n.d.). It is a significant concern since the numbers change yearly, wrongdoing marginally expanding and others somewhat diminishing. In addition, there are services for crime victims that provide therapy, treatments, referrals, financial assistance, legal aid, crisis counseling and advocacy.
Windshield Survey
Commercial Buildings and Housing
There are no single-family dwellings in the neighborhood or immediate surroundings. The apartments consist of condos and flats with multiple units. Condo towers appear to be new construction, and many people live in order flats. The majority of the structures were made of brick and mortar, interconnected and congested in certain sections. A majority of the buildings look to be old construction, with a range of architectural styles. The newly constructed buildings comprised palace condos, a sentinel museum, a sentinel hospital and an Acer tech business center. They are fitted with larger windows, brighter facades and clean lines. Solar panels and windmills, on the other hand, were not visible. There is not much room in front or behind most houses. The front of the building is lined with streets, while the back is lined with alleys. On one side of the royal condominium complex, there is green space.
The majority of the structures look to be in decent shape. However, buildings in need of repair may be found across town, with boarded-up windows and doors, dangerous leaks and graffiti indicating gang involvement. Besides the green space in this metropolitan setting, well-kept yards are not the norm. Evidence shows that much of the city has central heating, modern plumbing, and air conditioning. Individual climate control improvements have been applied to individual units in older buildings.
Open Space
Country life is predominantly urban, with few recreational and leisure spaces. The site quality is poor, with much concrete and pavement instead of green space and gardens. In addition, the lot sizes are modest, and there is little or no lawn area or flower boxes. Each square mile has about 3,900 people living in it. There were few trees on the street corners, and the entire city appeared to be open to the public.
Scavenger Hunt
Information can be found regarding the department’s educational programs, such as swimming, nutrition, and gardening. There are also details on the budget and typical park complaints and citations (narcotics, stary animals, trespassing after odd hours, cleanliness, littering, homeless population, and prostitution). Healthcare system-elderly services provide meal programs, medical care advocates, senior transportation, community centers, service animals, elderly abuse prevention advocates, and government entitlement support are just a few of the services available to seniors.
Adoption aid, Head Start, Youth Independent Living Services, Stay at Home Programs, and Child Care Providers Accepting Subsidized Benefits are available through City Hall-Social Services. Charitable healthcare and the most often utilized Medicare and Medicaid are examples of healthcare support programs. It also offers services to pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and postpartum mothers. The snap program helps 15% of senior people aged 60 and up, while persons enrolled in training programs constitute 23% of the population.
Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Epidemiological Data, and Application of Epidemiology
Teen pregnancy was the primary concern affecting the people in Sentinel City. After exploring and researching within the Better Health Clinic, it is apparent that there were around 400 teen pregnancies between 15 and 17 years of age. Other problems impacting the residents included high sexually transmitted diseases and pollution. Despite the steady rise in STD diagnoses among youth and young adults, few healthcare institutions have been established to provide health services.
The first problem identified is a high incidence of STDs among youths and young adults. Healthy People 2020 aims to address STDs by promoting healthy sexual actions, community awareness and advocating for increased access to better services (“Sexually transmitted diseases,” n.d.). STD prevention initiatives must be coordinated with the healthcare delivery system and adopt innovative measures to be successful.
The second problem identified is the high level of teen pregnancy. According to Healthy People 2020, the goal of addressing teen pregnancy is to improve the safety, healthy growth, and well-being of teens (“Adolescent health,” n.d.). The last issue affecting Sentinel City is rampant pollution, especially in the streets. Healthy People 2020 Goal for combating this menace is implementing environmental regulations and tracking pollution rates (“Environmental quality,” n.d.). The objective is to improve living conditions in a variety of contexts, including housing and institutions.
The first health concern was the high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STD). The goal of HP 2020 is to “ promote healthy sexual behaviors, strengthen community capacity, and increase access to quality services to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and their complications” (“Sexually transmitted diseases,” n.d., para. 1). The second issue was the increasing number of teen pregnancies in SC. HP 2020 objective is to “improve the healthy development, health, safety, and well-being of adolescents and young adults (AYAs)” (“Adolescent health,” n.d., para. 1). Finally, the third problem impacting the residents was pollution. HP 2020 goal for preventing this is “building environments that support healthy lifestyles, and considering the risks of pollution in decision-making can improve health and quality of life for all Americans” (“Environmental quality,” n.d., para. 4).
The number one health concern in Sentinel City is pollution/ recycling. The city’s sanitation is in a mesh, with trash and old buildings spotted everywhere. Affordable Housing Project can be implemented to solve the habitation issues. In addition, the city hall and the Department of environmental quality (DEQ) can help solve the garbage problem. DEQ can implement regulations that prohibit littering the surroundings and impose fines.
I am more prepared to analyze the requirements of my neighborhood after completing this simulation. Sentinel City has allowed me to try a variety of community evaluation techniques. I will examine my region’s accessibility to healthcare resources using the same tools: Demographic Assessment, Neighborhood/ Community Safety Inventory, and Population Health Scavenger Hunt. Overall, the activity was important, especially in identifying problems and offering solutions.
References
Adolescent health. (n.d.). Healthy People 2020. Web.
Environmental quality. (n.d.). Healthy People 2020. Web.
Sentinel city® v.5 community and population health virtual simulation. (n.d.). Sentinel U. Web.
Sexually transmitted diseases. (n.d.). Healthy People 2020. Web.