Aggregate Community Windshield Survey Discussion Paper

Windshield Surveys
With the use of public transportation or by driving a vehicle around the community, you can assess the common characteristics of the community of your selected aggregate. Key observations to make during a windshield survey include the following:

Age and condition of the homes in the community
Location and condition of parks and other recreational areas
Amount of space between homes and businesses
Neighborhood hangouts
Transportation in the community
Quality of streets and sidewalks
Types/numbers of stores and other businesses
People out in the community
Race/ethnicity
Cleanliness of the community
Billboards or other media displays
Places of worship
Availability of services—doctor, dentist, social centers, recreation centers, hospitals

In addition to the data collected in the windshield survey, include the following information about your aggregate:

Describing the Aggregate

Name of the aggregate
Geographical location and size
Population
A brief history
Explain, giving at least two reasons, why you selected this particular aggregate for your Capstone project.

Based on the focus of your practicum and the aggregate you will be working with, complete the windshield survey you began last week. Include information about the name of the aggregate, its geographical location and size, its population, and a brief history. Include information about the basic vital statistics of the aggregate such as the crude birth rate, infant mortality rate, life expectancy, the leading causes of death, and any other relevant statistical information related to the health of the aggregate from the windshield survey.  Aggregate Community Windshield Survey Discussion Paper

Explain, giving at least two reasons, why you selected this particular aggregate for your Capstone project.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

Aggregate community windshield survey

The community under review has been identified as Albany in Georgia. The city was founded by Nelson Tift in 1836 as a settlement, borrowing the name from Albany, New York, to express his intention to develop a successful trading center. Prior to that, the area was used for cotton and food plantations. The area turned into a rail transportation center in the 20^th century (Formwalt, 2014). The community covers 56 square mile area located in Southwest Georgia with the Flint River flowing through the area. The community has a population of approximately 77,450 persons, and its demographics are comprised of African-Americans (74%), Caucasians (21.5%), and Hispanic/Latino/Asian at 4.5%. Most of the buildings in the community were constructed as early as 1970s with the median property value being $101,000. The city government management 77 public recreational and park facilities that include Tift Park, Ken Gardens Park, Gordon Sports Complex, Tallulah Massey Park, Shackleford Park, and C.W. Heath Park. Census data from 2010 reveals that the city has 33,436 housing units at an average density of 577.3 per square mile. The distance between buildings (homes and businesses) is non-obstructive and average. The city government manages a public transportation system within the city although most households have approximately two cars for transport purposes.

The aggregate of interest in the present survey is the RISE program offered at the Aspire Behavioral Health facility in Albany, Georgia. This is a publicly funded medication assistance program that seeks to manage and treat opiate addiction among volunteer patients through the provision of free treatment and counseling services in a controlled environment. It evaluates and offers treatment based on the patients’ needs and their treatment compliance, including the ability to attend scheduled therapy meetings and pass random mandatory drug tests. The interest in the program has been occasioned by a need to understand the primary causes of addiction among the community members, and the need to improve the efficiency of treatment approaches and outcomes.

Statistics report that approximately 91 deaths occur every day from opiate overdose. In Albany, approximately 16 people overdose on opiates of which 5 die every day. 75% began by using prescription opioids (such as Percocet, Vicodin and Oxycontin) after which they turned to heroin. A review of the annual figures for the State of Georgia reveals that 242 opiate related deaths were reported in 2006, with the number increasing to 606 in 2013 and 900 in 2015 (Whitehead et al., 2017). These statistics are an indication that opiate addiction is an epidemic in the area and that the current efforts have only partially addressed the issue. As such, the interest is on developing and applying more efficient intervention programs that would substantively reduce these statistics (Huff, Kline & Peterson, 2015).

As a nurse, I have always considered the concept of caring as central to nursing practice. With regards to opiates treatment, my interest is in learning how individuals become addiction since this understanding has implications for prevention and treatment strategies. I believe that every individual has a unique story, reason and excuse for turning to opiates, from pain management to socioeconomic status, environmental influence, peer pressure, and self-interest. In each case, the patient becomes addicted after having after taking small amounts of opiates that build tolerance in the body so that the individual requires more of the opiates to have the same effect. Typically, the first use is from prescription to address pain. Irrespective of the cause of the addiction, I am of the strong opinion that these patients require efficient treatment programs that apply current evidence to improve care outcomes. I anticipate that the capstone project will suggest strategies for improving RISE program, and presents tangible evidence to support the strategies so that Albany residents receive the best possible care even as fatalities from opiate addiction are significantly reduced.

References

Formwalt, L. W. (2014). Albany. Retrieved from https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/albany

Huff, R., Kline, M. & Peterson, D. (2015). Health promotion in multicultural populations: a handbook for practitioners and students (3^rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Whitehead, S., Fleming, L., Gantt, T., Bevington, R., Fowler, S., Reingold, O. … & Headlee, C. (2017). Inside Georgia’s opioid epidemic. Retrieved from https://www.gpbnews.org/post/inside-georgia-s-opioid-epidemic . Aggregate Community Windshield Survey Discussion Paper