Analysis of Chandler City

STEP 1:

The population chosen for this community needs assessment is the city of Chandler Arizona. Chandler is a city located in the county of Maricopa Arizona that has a population estimate of 261,165 as of July 1, 2019 (United States Census Bureau, 2019). According to a community needs assessment conducted by Chandler Region Medical Center,  55.6% of the community are White- Non-Hispanic, 26.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.5% Asian/Pacific Islander, 5.4% Black/African American - Non-Hispanic, and 5.8% all others. The needs assessment also found that 8.1% of the community was below the poverty line, 8.9% of households were on Medicaid and 4.7% of households were uninsured. Another fact discovered by the community needs assessments was that even though Chandler has been experiencing strong economic growth, yet many other factors and social determinants of health need to be addressed in order to improve the overall health and wellbeing of the community at large (Slyer and Watner, 2020). This along with the high rate of low-income and uninsured is why I choose this population to due my community needs assessment.

Some resources available to the Chandler community include patient financial assistance, access to healthy food, access and education about healthcare information, and access to support for people suffering from chronic diseases (Slyer and Watner, 2020). These resources can directly benefit community members by giving them the tools and education to be involved in their health. By creating an environment that supports people in becoming active participants in their own health journey it increases the likelihood of them choosing to improve and maintain their overall health. By removing the idea that improving and maintaining health is solely based on the action of individuals, but also based on the actions of a community you allow people to not feel so alone and helpless which will  lead to a healthier community overall

STEP 2:

The Chandler Regional Medical Center identified access to care, mental health & behavioral health, diabetes, breast cancer, injury prevention, and social determinants of health like food insecurity, homelessness, and transportation ( Slyer and Watner, 2020). The topic that my community needs assessment is going to address is the problem of access to care. Access to care is super important to the Chandler community because of the effects it has on the other issues identified in the needs assessment. If community members do not have access to hospitals then it is obvious that the rates of diabetes, mental and behavioral health issues, breast cancer, and injury prevention and treatment will be negatively affected.  This issue is also important because the health of the individual community members doesn’t only affect themselves but also the community as a whole. 

The assessment also identified high rates of poverty, a large non-English speaking population, low education attainment, and lack of transportation as a barrier (Slyer and Watner, 2020). If someone is below the poverty line and is struggling with putting food on the table and/or having shelter then the chances of that person forging insurance and access to healthcare dramatically increases. This lack of nutrition and shelter can lead to the development and/or spreading of diseases that cannot be treated due to limited access to medical care. Not being able to speak English can severely affect the resources available to someone who is trying to improve their health. The language barrier can also affect access to healthcare because the patient might not even know what resources are available or what questions to even ask. 

The next barrier that can affect access to healthcare is education attainment. Just like with a language barrier; patients that have low education attainment might not know how to find resources or ask questions regarding healthcare. Patients with an educational or language barrier can also have problems understanding what their healthcare provider may be telling them which can lead to patients feeling ignored which can also delay access to healthcare. The final barrier that affects access to healthcare is transportation. This lack of transportation affects access to healthcare by causing patients to either miss, delay, or postpone doctor visits which leads to poor health outcomes and thereby lowering the overall health and wellbeing of the community.