Essay Example on the Issues in Sentinel City

Introduction

Upon engaging in the exercise of data collection in Sentinel city, it dawned to me the various concerns that the community wanted me to address. Majority of the citizens put it across that the increased crime rate in the society, and overall safety is their primary concern (Sentinel City, 2018). A local store owner shed light on this concern as his store had been robbed twice, and on several occasions, he spotted some homeless and aimless men and young lads walking about, day in day out. It is for this reason that it becomes clear that the aggravated crime is the most common in Sentinel City. An active crime scene is observable in the course of my bus ride, and in the course of my daycare assessment, I observed a gunman and scene likely to be a hostage situation reveals from far.

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Access to healthy meals is also a significant concern in Sentinel City. The residents in this city highly depend on the soup kitchen, which serves at least 40000 meals per month to the ever-growing citizens and the need for more vegetables and fresh fruits to all the surrounding communities. Affording a healthy meal becomes more problematic in this city as the majority of the residents live below 18.89% poverty level, with a restrained average income in each household falling at $48,091, and that obtainable at the industrial Heights Community standing at $26, 672 (Healthy People 2020, 2018). In a liberal society, if it is a challenge affording healthy food, it equally becomes problematic to afford proper health for both acute and chronic needs. Healthcare is an essential requirement for everyone.

The most intriguing concern was the healthcare issue as rats, trash, and all sorts of stray animals were rampant throughout the city. In as much as it is possible to have junk in an Industrial Heights Community, it becomes a health concern when they all over in the city (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). It becomes a health hazard as a result of waste spills and waste barrels across the city, as it may contaminate the drinking water in the environment, and increase the chances of spread and transmission of diseases in the city.

The drug-use health care concern is also prone in the city as an approximated 24 percent of the city's population are known, tobacco users. An estimated 26% of them are also alcoholics, and various illicit drugs are used across the city, which may lead to further health concerns. Lung cancer is most rampant in this city, which is caused by excessive smoking, and this can only be controlled through the creation of awareness on quitting smoking. The side effects of alcoholism are assaulting to other people and aggression; stopping alcohol consumption is the only remedy towards stopping this assault and aggression (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Precisely, the overall decline in consumption of the above two drugs is a possible remedy to address health concerns and eventually reduce the crime rates in Sentinel City.

Community Diagnosis for Sentinel City

Three Problem Areas

One of the problem areas is that there is a lack of insurance for some people; hence, it is difficult for them to access health facilities. The limited available resources could not serve this massive population of 663,862 people. According to the healthcare system at sentinel city, the town has only nine primary care clinics. Forty-one middle-level healthcare providers and 80 physicians work at these clinics (Sentinel City, 2018).

Another potential problem is the number of alcohol consumers. Healthy people 2020 recorded that around 26 percent of the population take alcohol. This statistic is alarming since alcohol can lead to many societal problems such as car accidents, homicides, child abuse, suicide, domestic violence, physical altercations among other social issues (Healthy People 2020, 2018). Prevalence for diseases such as cancer, stroke, liver disease, depression, heart disease, among others, increases with increased consumption of alcohol (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).

High consumption of tobacco is also a problem at sentinel city. According to Healthy People 2020, 24 percent of the city's population use tobacco products. Among the problems that are associated with smoking tobacco include COPD, stroke, reduced fertility in women, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, reduced immunity and cancer (Healthy People 2020, 2018). Tobacco does affect not only the user but also the surrounding people. These problems can be reduced through civic education on health matters related to alcohol and tobacco abuse.

Community Resources

Given the vast population depended on tobacco products, it is evident that the resources available such as clinics will not be enough to reduce the problem. Referring to the above statistics, one physician is expected to attend to 8,298 patients who translate to lack of healthcare services among the majority or long waits before receiving these services (Sentinel City, 2018). Specialized clinics for tobacco addicts are only with only five addiction counselors hence allowing for an escalation of the problem. The presence of health programs in the education system at sentinel city is limited. Only nine percent of the high education learning institutions offer comprehensive health care services, yet upper respiratory issues were their most acknowledged health concerns (Sentinel City, 2018). The students named tobacco use as the last of their health concerns showing limited information regarding substance abuse. It is shocking that 67 percent of the high education institutions do not offer student health services (Sentinel City, 2018). Of the remaining 33 percent, it is only two institutions that offer tobacco awareness and prevention programs.

Primary Prevention

The primary Prevention topic shall be 'tobacco use and prevention of smoking.' Contributions from the various stakeholders such as users, the sellers, and the government will be required to turn it into a reality. Advertisements and programs that promote the use of tobacco products such as cigarettes should be reduced. Legislation should control the smoking and its effects by prohibiting smoking in public places and introduce smoking zones. Relevant stakeholders should educate society on the effects of tobacco and other abused drugs. The addicts and those suffering from smoking-related diseases should get adequate medical attention. Lastly, cigarette sellers should be compelled to increase the cost of their products hence reducing their affordability. The resulting revenue out of the increment should be channeled to help in rehabilitating addicts.

Application of Earned Assessment Strategies

I have learned widely on community assessment versus individual assessment. As a result, I have realized that individual problems can escalate to become societal problems, and therefore, solutions should be sought before they escalate to the community level. I also realized that I could play a role in serving as a role model for many people to follow. Equally, my encouragement to one person at a time can help solve a significant societal problem as a result of the domino effect.

References

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Retrieved May 26th, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/DiseasesConditions/

Healthy People 2020. (2018). Retrieved May 26th, 2019, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives

Sentinel City. (2018). Retrieved May 26th, 2019, from https://wgu.ucertify.com/?func=ebook&chapter_no=7