For this assignment, imagine you are the health officer for a specific community/county (of your choosing) in the United States. You have decided to conduct a community health assessment to determine the health priorities you want to address over the next five years. Using secondary data sources*, provide a brief overview of the community and then describe in detail the community’s demographic, social, and epidemiological/health characteristics, as well as community strengths and assets, primarily using tables, graphs, and charts. Based on the data you’ve gathered, identify the most important health concerns your community faces. Lastly, provide at least three health recommendations describing what you will do as the county health officer over the next five years to address these issues.

Your community health assessment paper will be 10 to 15 pages in length. It is best to present data using tables, graphs, or charts; the majority of your paper will consist of these graphics – a minimum of 15. There will also be approximately 4 – 5 pages of text as you will be highlighting information you present in the graphics, as well as prioritizing health concerns, identifying and describing specific strengths and resources within the community/county, and making recommendations on how to improve the health status of residents within the next five years. Your writing should be compelling. The paper will be submitted electronically via Canvas. It must be typed and double-spaced. Please use 11-point font and one inch margins. References and citations are required. APA reference formatting is required. Also, review the grading rubric prior to writing your paper. 

Number the pages of your Assessment; EXCEPT the Title page.

Your paper must include the following 6 sections:

1. Title Page – Center the information:

Community Health Assessment

Name and location of the community/county (e.g., Wyandotte County, KS)

Your Name and degree (e.g., Mary Smith, BS)

HLTH 391: Making a Difference: Applying Community Health

Semester and year (e.g., Fall 2020)

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1. Introduction (3/4 – 1 page)

Include background information and a summary of the subsequent sections

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1. Description of the Community/County (1 ½ – 2 pages): 

• Demographics, social determinants of health, epidemiological (health data) assessment
• Prioritize health concerns
• Identify and describe specific strengths and resources within the community
• Label each table, graph, map, etc.

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1. Recommendations** (2 pages):

• Recommendations on how to improve the health status of residents within the next five years (at least 3)
• Each recommendation should have approximately 1-2 paragraphs of support for the recommendation and should have citations (of other places where the recommendation has begun or worked OR why this recommendation is supported)

**This is not a “free-flowing thought” section.

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1. Appendix

• All graphics must have a title at the top and a source below it, and be consecutively labeled – e.g., Table 1: Clinical Health Outcomes by Year (Bottom of the table: Source: City Planners of Kansas, 2017).
• Put each graphic on a separate page. Do not squeeze graphics on one page.

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1. References APA format

*Potential secondary data sources may include, but are not limited to:

• American Community Survey: https://www.census.gov/en.html
• County Health Rankings: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org
• National Center for Health Statistics: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs
• Data are available on the county’s health department website

Other health related surveys that may be helpful are available at the following link: http://www.healthdata.gov

You may also find primary data others have collected and reported on regarding your community/county and if that is the case, you can incorporate that information into your paper, as well. 

Examples for Writing the Summary Section

There are four different examples to choose from when writing the summary section of your Community Health Assessment. Select one of the fourexamples; complete the information with the brackets and remove them; and add your summary to the end of the Introduction section.

Note: Your recommendations may not be finalized until later during the researching and writing process. You can finalize the recommendations when your paper is final/near final.

Example 1

The subsequent sections of this community health assessment include the following: A description of the [NAME OF COMMUNITY/COUNTY] along with [ADD THE INFORMATION AS STATED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS]. Also, [ADD #]* recommendations are stated: 1) [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]; 2)  [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]; and, 3) [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]. These recommendations can be used by [NAME OF COMMUNITY/COUNTY] to improve the health status of its residents within the next five years.

Example 2

This community health assessment contains the following sections: A description of the [NAME OF COMMUNITY/COUNTY]and [ADD THE INFORMATION AS STATED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS]. Additionally, [ADD #]* recommendations are offered: 1) [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]; 2)  [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]; and, 3) [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]. These recommendations are provided to assist [NAME OF COMMUNITY/COUNTY] when making improvements in its residents’ health over the next five years.

Example 3

The sections that follow include: A description of the [NAME OF COMMUNITY/COUNTY] and [ADD THE INFORMATION AS STATED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS]. Moreover, [ADD #]* recommendations are listed to help [NAME OF COMMUNITY/COUNTY] improve the health status of its residents within the next five years: 1) [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]; 2)  [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]; and, 3) [BRIEF DESCRIPTION].

Example 4

The following sections contain a description of the [NAME OF COMMUNITY/COUNTY] [ADD THE INFORMATION AS STATED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS]; and, [ADD #]* recommendations for the [NAME OF COMMUNITY/COUNTY] to improve the health status of its residents within the next five years. These recommendations are: 1) [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]; 2)  [BRIEF DESCRIPTION]; and, 3) [BRIEF DESCRIPTION].

*Note: If the number is below 10, you must spell it – i.e., one, two, three, four, etc. Not 1, 2, 3, 4.

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