Community Needs Assessment

For all to enjoy, here's a copy of my community needs assessment, done on the recent health fair in North Miami Elementary School:

COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Community Health Nursing Fall 2006

1. Location: North Miami Elementary School

Date: November 4, 2006
Instructor: Marie Etienne/Marie Anglin
Activity: North Miami Elementary School Health Fair – Disease Screening
Health Issue(s): Diabetes/Hypertension/Women’s Health

2. What are the demographics of the population in the community that you will be addressing with this activity? (gender, race, ethnicity, age, group, etc.)

City of North Miami[1]:

31.8% of North Miami residents are between 25-44 years of age.
19.6% are between 45-64 years old.
Average age is 32.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,778, and the median income for a family was $31,760.
About 20.7% of families and 23.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 17.2% are 65 years old or over.
Ethnic Mix: 34.81% White, 54.89% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.92% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.16% from other races, and 4.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 23.16% of the population.
North Miami is known for its large Haitian-American population. In 2001, voters made Josaphat Celestin the first Haitian American mayor of a large Miami-Dade County community.

3. Prevalence. What are the risk factors facing this population(s)? What is the prevalence of this particular health problem among this population?
South Florida has a large and growing number of Haitians, particularly in North Miami. Unfortunately, Haitians are greatly affected by chronic illnesses that affect many groups of African descent: diabetes, hypertension, breast and cervical cancer. Data on the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension among North American Haitians are difficult to assess because they are categorized under “African American”. From what we do know, cancer, tuberculosis, and HIV are some the most prevalent diseases of Haitians who’ve recently emigrated from Haiti. From 1979-1984, among Haitian women, cervical cancer accounted for 39% of all cancers. Approximately 50% of Haitian women get pap smears compared to 25% of English-speaking Caribbean Americans and 10% of US-born blacks[2].

4. Identify some of the major health problems that this particular community faces.
Haitian Americans are at risk for contracting high-morbidity diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, breast and cervical cancer. This in part due to hereditary influences, as most groups of African descent are at higher risk of having cardiovascular disease from ages 30 and over (and in some cases, children are now having cardiovascular problems). Contracting STDs and HIV/AIDS is also a major problem in this community, as Haitians do not have the resources and the awareness of information that can prevent the spread the STDs. Tuberculosis is a major health problem in most Latin American countries, primarily due to the highly contagious rate of this disease and it’s similarities to other respiratory problems.

5. Why do you think that this community needed this educational program/health screening/other?
There is a lack of health resources available to Haitians, in particular for those who fear losing their residency status. The median income level of North Miami residents is about $29k with about 24% of the population below the poverty line. This population doesn’t have the financial resources to seek out preventative health care from health care professionals. Language barrier is also an issue, as the majority of Haitians speak Haitian Creole – it’s important to have health care professionals who can speak to them in their own language and building trust in the health care system.

6. Could you assess the community’s knowledge of your health issue during the activity? After the activity?
Unfortunately I was unable to obtain objective information through use of a survey. However, I was able to obtain subjective information from the blood pressure screening. The majority of the adults I screened (about 70%) had high blood pressure and didn’t know it. About 90% of the adults were more interested in knowing their blood sugar and cholesterol levels, stating that they could have their blood pressure checked at local supermarkets. Half of the women waiting for blood sugar and cholesterol results were interested in having a mammogram and pap test. Unfortunately, very few women were interested in learning how to do a breast-self examination.

7. How will your activity influence the long-term health of this community?
Our intention is to increase the Haitian community’s awareness of risk factors for common, chronic diseases and to detect certain cancers early for effective treatment. I believe the knowledge that H.A.N.A. and Miami Dade College provided to the community encourage them to reduce their risks by changing poor nutritional habits (high salt and sugar intake) and keeping appointments with local doctors and the Miami Dade County Health Department for routine screenings.

8. In your opinion, what are the specific needs of the populations as a community?
The Haitian community’s main obstacles to healthcare would be communication. It is essential that the Haitian community has health care professionals who not only speak Creole, but are knowledgeable about the culture and beliefs of Haitians, especially when it comes to potential conflicts between Haitian folk medicine and western allopathic medicine. This population also needs resources that are affordable, making access to screenings and treatments easier – thereby improving healthcare compliance.

9. In terms of your health issue, what type of resources do you believe that this community could utilize to help alleviate the health problem at hand?
This community needs more local health fairs in the community, local health centers for affordable treatment, and health promotion information pamphlets in Creole.

10. Identify one agency/organization/facility in this community that the population could refer to if they had to deal with this health problem.

Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, Inc. (FANM)
[Haitian Women of Miami]
7900 NE 2nd Ave
Miami, FL 33138
(305) 756-8050

Miami Dade County Health Department
Project Screen
Jennifer M. Prince-RN, NPS
8600 NW 17 ST Suite# 200
Miami, FL 33126 (305) 470-5634
(305) 470-5635

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[1] Taken from URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Miami,_Florida#Demographics

[2] Holcomb, L.O. (1996). Haitian Americans: Implications for Nursing Care

Journal of Community Health Nursing, Vol. 13, No. 4. (1996), pp. 249-260.