Randall County Community Assessment – Health, Education, Governance, Communication, Recreation, and At-Risk Populations
| Subsystem | Findings |
| Health and Social Systems Subsystem
(2 points each Must Provide: · Health facilities · Providers · Clinics/ Dialysis care · Public health services · Home-care · Hospice /Palliative · Long-term care · Social services · Counseling services · Medicaid services |
· Health Facilities
Randall County is an extensive jurisdiction with multiple health facilities. Some of the most notable health facilities in the area include Texas Teaching Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital, among others. While there is little information on the total number of hospitals available in the location, the state has a total of 97 local hospitals, 152 non-profit hospitals, and 260 for-profit hospitals, totaling 509 (Texas Community Health News, n.d.). · Providers The county has diverse healthcare providers. These include nurses, pharmacists, and physicians, among others. While little information exists on the number of providers, Randall County, Texas, has over 68,000 active physicians (Texas Community Health News, n.d.). · Clinics/Dialysis Care There is an abundance of clinics and dialysis care centers in Randall County. Some of the care clinics that provide dialysis services include Fresenius Kidney Care, US Renal Care, and DaVita Amarillo Dialysis. Other specialized clinics within the jurisdiction include the Hearts Connection Care Center for cardiovascular illnesses, Texas Oncology for cancer patients, and the Amarillo Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics for oral health (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). · Public Health Services Public health services in Randall County are provided for by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Through the Randall County regional office, the Texas DSHS coordinates public health services such as surveillance of communicable diseases, assessing and monitoring population health status, and educating communities on diseases (Data USA, n.d.). · Home-Care Home care services in Randall County are enabled by the Texas Healthcare at Home program. Under the Texas Health Resources, this program allows specific patient groups to be cared for in the comfort of their homes but under effective monitoring by caregivers remotely (Texas Community Health News, n.d.). · Hospice/Palliative Hospice care exists in Randall County, with many hospice centers remaining active. Some of the most notable hospice centers in the area include the Kinda Hearts Hospice, Enhabit Hospice, and Gentive Hospice, among others (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). · Long-Term Care Long-term care also exists in Randall County. Some long-term care facilities active in the area include Bristol Park for Senior Living, the Reserve for Assisted Living, the Craig, a nursing home, and Canyon Healthcare (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). · Social Services Social services are also present in Randall County. Examples include Randall County Child Support for vulnerable children and Texas Health and Human Services (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). These resources provide valuable care to vulnerable community members, including drug addicts, senior citizens, and the general public. · Counseling Services Counseling Services also exist within the area. Randall County Counseling Services, through its offices in Canyon and Amarillo, provides counseling programs to the residents of Randall County. Other private institutions, such as Jennings Counseling Services, also provide counseling programs to all who need them (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). · Medicaid Services Medicaid Services exists in the area. Randall County has Medicaid beneficiaries of about 8.48%. The majority of these beneficiaries are adults aged 65 and above (Data USA, n.d.). |
| Education Subsystem
Must Provide: · Educational level · Literacy level of community members · Educational sources: o Children o Adult o Daycare o Library |
· Educational level
The majority of the residents of Randall County are learned. Over 93.9% of the residents of Randall County are high school graduates, and 32.7% have a bachelor’s degree or higher education (United States Census, n.d.).
· Literacy Level of Community Members The literacy level of Randal County is statistically higher than that of the state. 51-60% of the residents are at level 3 or higher literacy, 25-25% of residents are at level 2 literacy, and 12-18% of residents are at level 1 literacy. The average literacy score for the county is 274. This is slightly higher than the Texan average of 254 (National Center for Education Statistics, n.d.). · Educational Sources o Children Children in Randall County can either be home-schooled or attend public or private schools present within the county. Public schools in the area are mostly run by the county government (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). o Adult Adults in the county can attend one of the colleges in the area. They can also attend the existing universities for adult education. Private schools providing adult education are common in the area. Such institutions as Higher Heights Adult Private School exist to provide adult education. Online sources also exist for all adults in the state (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). o Daycare There are several daycare options in the county. Some of the most common daycare institutions include Convention Childcare, Luisa’s Child Care, and Bizzy Bees Childcare (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). o Library Randall County, like other areas in Texas, has a low number of libraries. The area has only two public libraries, with the remaining being private (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). |
| Politics and Government Subsystem
Must Provide: · Local governmental leadership · Politically active organizations present within the community · Governmental facilities in the community (i.e., court house, jail, prison) · Democrats and republicans voting statistics from last election. |
· Local Governmental Leadership
Randall County is a jurisdiction in Texas. The county seat of the Randall County local government is located in Canyon (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). · Politically Active Organizations Present Within the Community Some of the politically active organizations in the area include Border Enforcement, End Federal Overreach, Texas is Not for Sale, and No Democrat Chairs, among others. These groups lean heavily on the GOP vote (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). · Governmental Facilities in the Community Several federal facilities exist in the region. These include courthouses, such as the 47th, 181st, and 251st District Court houses, the Randall County Jail, and the Randall County Event Center (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). · Democrats and Republicans’ Voting Statistics from the Last Election Politically, the region has leaned towards the Republican vote, with Republicans winning in every election since the 1950s. In the last elections, Republicans won by a majority vote of 78%, against the democrats’ 19%. |
| Communication Subsystem
Must Provide: · Formal communication · Informal communication · Cell phone towers · Weather sirens |
· Formal Communication
The formal language in Randall County is American English (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). · Informal Communication Randall County, being a mixed demographic society, has several informal languages. These include Spanish, German, and Norwegian (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). · Cell Phone Towers There are several cell phone towers in Randall County. These are Verizon, At and T, and T-mobile towers. Verizon has the best coverage in the area (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). · Weather Sirens In addition, Randall County has over 90 outdoor warning sirens. |
| Recreation Subsystem
Must include: · Recreation facilities · Entertainment opportunities |
· Recreation Facilities
Several recreational facilities exist in Randall County. These include the Amarillo Activity Youth Center, Estacado Estates Community Center, Dawn and Buchannan Street Community Center, and Wildorado Community Center. These facilities provide an area for multiple sporting and other recreational activities (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). · Entertainment Opportunities Entertainment opportunities are also immense in Randall County. This is evidenced by the presence of Cinemark Town Centre Cinema, the Morley Theatre, and the North Plains, among others (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). |
| Assessment of Selected At-Risk Population
And At-risk population field work. Must include: · Unique health needs faced by your at-risk as noted in national statistics and in scholarly sources.
· Health needs faced by your at-risk population as seen in your community, through your personal/professional observations, experiences and information gleaned from the field work with your chosen at- risk population on health issues is noted. |
· Unique Health Needs Faced by the At-Risk as Noted In National Statistics and in Scholarly Sources
The at-risk population identified in Randall County is the youth and young adult populations. This population group is disproportionately affected by drug abuse. Drug abuse is a common health problem among American youths (Ignaszewski, 2021). According to federal statistics, there is a growing prevalence of drug use among young adults and teens, with over 34.1 million young adults aged between 18 and 25 implicated in a form of drug abuse (Volkow et al., 2021). In Texas, over 331,000 young adults use one or more drugs. The proportion is higher among urban dwellers (Tiruneh et al., 2022). These statistics highlight the need to address the problem. l Health Needs Faced by the At-Risk Population A quick survey of the areas around Randall County reveals findings consistent with the national statistics on drug abuse. I could see many young people on the streets within the county who are drug addicts. Many were begging for money for food, alcohol, and drugs. At one point in a gas station, I was approached by a young guy, 19 years of age, who was addicted to drugs and was asking for money to buy the drugs. These observations painted the picture of drug use being a significant health concern in the area. |
| Key Informant Interview
Must be with a person working with the public. Preferably an expert in their field. · What is your role in the community? · How long have your worked in this community? · Based on your area of expertise, what issues are a concern in the community? · How is this specific at-risk population in this community struggling right now? · What do you feel the strengths and weaknesses of your community are related to this at-risk population? |
The interview was with a public health officer, Marcus Smith, who works with Texas DSHS and is attached to Randall County (M.S., personal communication, July 4, 2023). He has been working with the department and the community for the past seven years. He noted that drug use is increasingly becoming a problem in the community. The number of hotline calls for overdose and other forms of injuries related to drug abuse has doubled over the past few years. While all populations are affected by the problem, the problem is more common among young adults and teenagers. A strength of the community as related to the at-risk population is the existence of several community resources to educate them on drug use and the high literacy level of the community. He identified the existence of dealers in the community as a weakness contributing to the widespread use of drugs even among teenagers. |
References
Data USA. (n.d.). Randall County, TX. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/randall-county-tx#demographics
Ignaszewski, M. J. (2021). The epidemiology of drug abuse. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 61(S2). https://doi.org/10.1002/jcph.1937
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (n.d.). U.S. PIAAC Skills Map. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/skillsmap/
Texas Community Health News. (n.d.). Texas Community Health News. Randall County – Texas Community Health News. https://texascommunityhealthnews.org/counties/randall
Tiruneh, Y. M., Elliott, K. S., Oyer, L., Elueze, E., & Casanova, V. (2022). Addressing substance use and misuse in East Texas: Stakeholder-driven needs and priorities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 15215. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215215
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). U.S. Census Bureau quickfacts: Randall County, Texas. United States Census. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/randallcountytexas/PST045222
Volkow, N. D., Han, B., Einstein, E. B., & Compton, W. M. (2021). Prevalence of substance use disorders by time since first substance use among young people in the US. JAMA Pediatrics, 175(6), 640. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.6981
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We’ll write everything from scratch
Part Two of the Community Assessment involves the examination of the last five subsystems within the community. You will assess these elements independently. For the first time, you will introduce your at-risk population. This will involve researching information about the health issues of this at-risk population from a state, national, and global view. You will then assess the at-risk population in your community and compare the two. A new key informant should be interviewed and reported. Your field experience with the chosen at-risk population should also be reported.
Randall County Community Assessment
Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:
Conduct part two of a local community assessment, including the health and social services, education, politics and government, communications, and recreation subsystems.
Interpret your findings from part two of a local community assessment involving the appraisal of the politics and government, recreation, communication, health and social service, education subsystems, and selected at-risk population.
Resources
E-Book: Community as Partner: Theory and Practice in Nursing, Chapter 11
Textbook: Public Health Nursing: Population–Centered Care in the Community
File: Community Assessment Part Two- Data Collection Tool
Optional Resources
Media: The Effects of Disease on Population-Based Nursing
Media: Unnatural Causes #3: Becoming American
Background Information
As a ‘head to toe’ approach is used to assess the health of an individual, a structured and systematic approach is employed to assess the health of a community. As shared in Workshop One, for the purpose of this course, you will continue to use the Community-as-Partner Model to guide your community assessment.
In this assignment, you will post your findings in Dropbox. This will include the systematic assessment process: the assessment of the health and social systems, education system, politics, and government systems, communication system, recreation system, at-risk population health status, and a new Key Informant interview. Review Key Informant: The Three W’s.
In Workshop Five you will analyze your total findings to determine the health needs and strengths which are present in your community. At that time, you will apply the nursing process to the community.
Instructions
Review the appropriate rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
Download and review the Community Assessment Part Two Data Collection Tool. Note the information that is mandatory for your assessment in each subsystem.
Based on previous reading assignments, conduct an assessment of your selected community (Chapter 11 E-Book, Community as Partner: Theory and Practice in Nursing).
Read pages 382 and 388 in Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Healthcare in the Community.
View the optional video Unnatural Causes#3: Becoming American.
Begin the assessment of these five community subsystems using the Community Assessment Part Two Data Collection Tool:
health and social services,
education,
politics and government,
communication, and
recreation.
Utilize a minimum of five current scholarly sources, plus one new key informant interview to support your information and information you have gleaned from the meetings with your at-risk population. Review NUR-465 Resources.
Be sure to properly cite and reference your sources according to APA format (a key informant is cited as personal communication and not referenced)
Last Completed Projects
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