Requirements
- Conduct the windshield survey using the template, linked in Resources.
- Use the template as a guide and write a report. If possible, look at other written documents used within your organization. How are they formatted? Follow that format as closely as possible, making sure you still use APA guidelines for your in-text references, citations, and reference page.
- These houses are newly built, I would say within the last 5-10 years. It is a beautiful community of houses, well kept. Yards are all neat, and well groomed.
- Other Buildings: Are other buildings mostly or fully occupied? Are public and commercial buildings accessible by people with disabilities? The building around are either restaurants, coffee shops, or PT, ST, OT buildings.
- Parks and Public Spaces: Are parks and other public spaces well-maintained? Are they used by a variety of people? Are there sports facilities such as baseball fields, basketball courts, and soccer fields? There are several open parks within the area, that are well maintained. They seem to be used by people on a break from work who are walking a few laps. I don’t see any sports facilities.
- Culture and Entertainment: Are there museums, libraries, theaters, restaurants, historic sites, and so forth? Do they reflect the culture of the community? Are they readily accessible? Within this community that I see, there are no museums, or theaters, but I do see restaurants, a church, and one library. They are within walking distance. Streets: Are there trees and/or plants along the streets? Are there sidewalks? Are the streets and sidewalks clean? Are there trash cans sitting out in sight? Are there people on the streets? Do they interact with each other? Are the streets well-lit at night?
- There are sidewalks next to every street, with plants, bushes, and trees along most of them. There are trash cans near the parks, but not along the regular streets. There are three groups of people that I see walking along the sidewalks, and two of the groups stopped to talk with each other. The neighborhood streets are well lit at night, though the main street to get to this community is not.
- Business and Industry: What kinds of businesses are there? Are there vacant storefronts? In what languages are business signs? Do the businesses provide the necessities for the community (such as groceries and medications)? Is there any kind of industry present? The businesses I see include restaurants, therapy buildings, and locally owned shops. The signs are all in English. The business do seem to provide necessities for the community. It seems like there is a little bit of everything. Traffic and Transportation: Is there evidence of public transportation? Is it well-used? Is it easy to navigate and use? How much does it cost? Who uses it? How heavy is the traffic? Is there a major road or highway close by? Is the traffic mostly commercial (such as delivery vans and trucks) or private cars? Are there many bicycles? Are there bike lanes and bike racks?
- I haven’t seen any bus stops in this area, and I’ve seen a few bikes here and there. Most people walk in this neighborhood area, or drive their own vehicles to go elsewhere. The traffic along the main road is two way, and the area is growing in population, so at peak hours, the traffic is slow. But this traffic consists of commuters, and people that live in the area.
- Public Services: Are there identifiable public service providers such as mental health clinics, food banks, and homeless shelters? Are there police or fire stations nearby? Are they easy to reach? I don’t see any public services offered in this area. There is however a fire station about 5 minutes away, down the main road.
- Religious Centers: Are there churches or other religious institutions? Are they of one faith, or do they represent a variety of faiths? Is there one dominant religion represented? There is a church within this community. This church appears to be a Christian church.
- Health Services: How many hospitals and clinics are there? How big are they? Are they easy to get to? There is a building that offers PT, OT, ST within the community. It is a single story building, I would say about 2500 square feet. It is easily accessible.
- Education: Are there public or private K-12 schools nearby? Are they well-maintained? Are there any two- or four-year colleges and/or universities? Are they public or private? Yes, there is what appears to be an elementary school two blocks into this community. It is a public school.
- Population: Who lives in the community? Are there identifiable racial or ethnic groups? Do particular groups seem to live in particular areas? Is one age group or gender more obvious? Do the people who live in this community seem to interact with each other? I have seen mostly Caucasians in this area, with a few that appear to be of Asian descent, mostly in their 40’s and older. People who live within the same neighborhood seem to interact with each other.
- What is your overall impression of the community? My overall impression of the community is that it is a wealthy community, with people who care about the appearance of their neighborhoods and homes. There don’t seem to be any young couples living here just 40’s with young families, or retired couples. Everything is well kept, and easily accessible. I would say this is not exactly the norm for all Colorado communities.
Summary and Analysis
To help you analyze what you have seen and decide how to use it, here are some questions you should consider:- What are the community’s outstanding strengths? Organizations and cleanliness
- What seem to be the community’s biggest challenges? I didn’t see any bus transportation
- What was the most unexpected thing you observed? The lack of diversity
- What aspect of the community really stood out for you? The accessibility of everything
- How can you use this information to help develop a health promotion and wellness plan for the population that lives here? An again population, puts them at risk for developing age related health issues, including greater transportation possibilities
Based on your observations and notes, complete the following:
- Describe, briefly, the neighborhood or community you observed (for example, overall condition, types of spaces and businesses, and evidence of services).
- Describe a vulnerable or diverse population you observed living within the neighborhood or community.
- Explain how the demographics for the population have changed over the past 5–10 years. (Tip: this information should be readily available through the United States Census Bureau Web site or state Web sites, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or other professional sites. Please be sure your information is current.)
- Describe the most prevalent health risks for the population. For example, if your population is senior citizens, then the health risks might be diabetes and loss of mobility. Include statistics on the health risks, such as frequency of occurrence in the population, and number of deaths per year in the population.
- Identify the health disparities and social determinants of health that can affect the population. In other words, what will you need to overcome to develop a successful health promotion and disease prevention program for the population?
Additional Requirements
- Length of paper: 2–3 double-spaced pages, not including the title page and reference page.
- References: At least three current scholarly or professional resources.
- Formatting: APA format for references and citations only.
- Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt.