A Windshield Survey of Hialeah Gardens Community
WINDSHIELD SURVEY 6
(Author’s name)
(Institutional Affiliation)
Access and choice constitute the primary drivers for healthylifestyles and an overall healthy community. The manner in whichcommunity is designed, the availability of open spaces, walkingpaths, and accessibility to healthcare facilities and resourcescontribute to the general community health. A windshield survey helpsto establish how the features mentioned earlier are distributed in acommunity. The study is thus important as it contributes toidentifying major health concerns in a community and unmet care needswhich then enhances planning, implementation processes, andevaluation of agendas that uphold a population`s health (Gale et al.2014). A community is thus a client of the health sector as itdemands collaborative practices among members of the health sector toattain an overall health promotion (Harkness & DeMarco, 2012).The paper, therefore, presents the findings obtained from conductinga windshield survey in a Hialeah Gardens community.
Findings from the Survey
The community is made up of children, young adults, older adults, andthe elderly. The young adults and older adults occupy a greaterpercentage of the population while the old form the least percentage.A significant portion of the population consists of the Caucasianpeople, while few Asians and African Americans also exist in thecommunity. Besides, there exist no overt signs of ethnicity.Furthermore, the survey reveals that homesteads are majorly detachedsingle family residences. The homes are maintained well enough, andthe main materials used to construct the houses are wood and bricks.The houses are modernized, and they contain heat and plumbingtechnologies. However, the homesteads have relatively similar sizesof yards.
In regards to infrastructure, there exists an airport, majority ofsidewalks and cycling paths, the roads are in proper condition withan availability of a highway that is capable of offering excellentservice to residents and businesses. Also, a public bus system existsthat provides reliable transport means for the residents. The areahas a good streetlight system that offers road safety for bothpedestrians and motorists. However, some roads are very busy whichmakes them dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians due to aninadequacy of crossing areas, causing a major health concern.
The area has quite a few local grocery and food stores that caneasily be accessed by walking, cycling, and by car. Observed in theregion also are the presence of bars, fine restaurants, and specialtystores. Numerous clothing stores are situated in the town, and manyretail, as well as wholesale warehouses, are present indicating thatthe region has flourishing businesses. Also observed is a seafoodprocessing industry a phenomenon that implies the occurrence ofindustrial facilities.
There are open places, and parks are available for recreationalactivities for the residents. In particular, the Hialeah Park islocated in the south of Opa Locka Airport and has race tracks forhorse racing activity, and the Amelia Earhart Park that offers avariety of activities such as soccer and mountain biking.Nevertheless, many youths and homeless people use the area as adrinking place, a situation that creates a potential health alarm.The city also has tennis centers, public swimming pools, and afootball stadium that can be accessed quickly.
The majority of people seen on the streets are pedestrians, cyclists,and joggers establishing their way to particular destinations. In themorning, children are seen heading to school while in the eveningthey are seen walking from school. Homeless people are also notedoccasionally along the streets. All people seen on the streets seemto have dressed accordingly, except for teenagers who appear to dressin shorts most of the time. Dogs are also seen on the streets withmost of them being escorted by their owners while some are leashed.In a public setting, the dogs that aren`t leashed possess healthrisks to the community.
The amount of noise in the city is relatively high due to the hightraffic level on the streets and the ongoing constructions. Regionslocated near the airport experience much noise caused by the landingand taking off of planes. The high degree of noise at various partsof the city generates a condition of noise pollution which is ahealth hazard for the residents as it may cause psychological as wellas physiological ailments (Shahid & Bashir, 2013).
It is observed that heavy traffic characterized by low mobility ratetends to occur in the morning when people rush to their jobs andbusinesses, and during the evening when they return home. A lot ofprivate cars are seen to cause the congestion on the roads during therush hours.
The city hall, police station, a hospital, and a dental clinic aresituated within walking distances. The public amenities are in goodoperating conditions, seem to be well maintained and are busyindicating that they offer reliable services to the community.
Conclusion
Hialeah Gardens Community is exposed to various health hazards thatcall for particular needs to be established so as to counter therisks. To specify, more cycling and footpaths need to be developed soas to avoid pedestrians and cyclists from using the dangerous busyroads. More crossing areas are also required to ensure the safety ofpedestrians when using the roads. More food stores need to beestablished in the region to provide easy accessibility of nutritiousfoods to the residents. Furthermore, policies governing the use ofrecreational facilities and public places as well as alcohol usageneed to be enforced. Teens and members of the street families usepublic spaces as drinking sites, and thus enforcement of such lawswould help reduce the problem. Also, the city has to implement rulesthat demand dog owners leash them before exposing them to the publicas they may harm other people. Besides, the city is required toreduce the amount of noise pollution that the community experiences.In regards to traffic congestion on the roads, better transportinfrastructure and system need to be developed to ease the mobilityof people in the city.
References
Gale, J.A., Coburn, A.F. & Newton, H.E (2014). CollaborativeCommunity Health Needs Assessments: Approaches and Benefits forCritical Access Hospitals. Pp 1-3
Harkness, G. A., & DeMarco, R. F. (2012). Community and publichealth nursing evidence for practice. Wolters KluwerHealth/Lippincott, Philadelphia.
Shahid, M.A. & Bashir, H. (2013). Psychological and PhysiologicalEffects of Noise Pollution on the Residents of Major Cities ofPunjab (Pakistan). Peak Journal of Physical and EnvironmentalScience Research. 1(4), 41-50
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