NRS-428: Community Assessment of Denver, Colorado Health Patterns

This report presents a community health assessment of Denver, Colorado, employing Gordon's Functional Health Patterns framework. It analyzes various aspects of the community, including boundaries, population, climate, and geopolitical features. The assessment delves into the community's values, beliefs, and health perception, examining prevalent health problems, immunization rates, and prevention programs. It also explores nutrition, metabolic patterns, environmental health concerns, activity levels, sleep patterns, and cognitive functions. Furthermore, the report identifies barriers and challenges faced by the community, along with available resources and funding sources. It highlights areas for health promotion, drawing on interviews with healthcare professionals and referencing relevant literature to support its findings. The report concludes with a summary of the assessment and recommendations for improving community health.

Denver, Colorado Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

Denver, Colorado
• Located in the South Platte River Basin, on the western side of the
High Plains, just east of the Rocky Mountains Front Range
• It is the 19th most populated city in the United States and has
been one of the fastest growing big cities in the United States with
a growth of 21.17 per cent since the 2010 United States Census.
• Denver, Colorado Community Assessment and Analysis
– Description of community and boundaries
– Barriers and challenges
• Community Public Health Provider Roles
– Funding sources and partnerships
• Areas Identified for Health Promotion

Denver, Colorado
• Denver County, US
state of Colorado
• Boundaries
– Located in the
centre of a vast
Southern Rocky
Mountain
– Located east of
Cherry Creek's
confluence with
South Platte
River Population
1,264,518
– Most populated
town within a
distance of 500
miles (800 km)
– semi-arid,
continental
climate zone

Health Care
• Mission
– Denver Health
“to provide high
quality cost
effective care”
• Barriers
and challenges
– Transportation
– Community
Resources
• Social determinants
of health

Gordon’s
FHPs
Comprehensive
database on nursing
created
Creation of a
structured and
consistent data
processing method
Require nurses to
assess safety and
individual practical
dimensions

Value/Belief
Pattern
Ethnicity
• 5% Black
• 18% Hispanic
• 3% Asian
• 1% Native American
• 3% belonging to different races.
Religion
• Christian and non-Christian faiths, including
Greek Orthodox, Lutheran, Pentecostal,
Presbyterian
Health promotion via event participation
• Denver Health and Hospital Authority
• Acute care hospital
• Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center.

Health
Perception
or
Management
Predominant health
problems
Death Rates and
Causes
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Mental health
Denver Health

Nutrition/Metabolic
Obesity
Fast food and junk food
School Nutrition(in
addition to above):
• Nutritional content of food in
the cafeteria and vending
machines
• Free or reduced lunch

Elimination
(Environmental Health Concerns)
MAINTAINING AIR
QUALITY
MAINTAINING
WATER QUALITY
HEALTHY HOME AND
LEAD EXPOSURE

Activity/Exercise
• Recreational facilities
and usage
• Evidence of sedentary
leisure activities like
performing yoga
outdoors
• Means of
transportation.

Sleep/Rest
• Restlessness
and energy
levels.
• Factors affecting
sleep

Cognitive/Perceptual
Primary language
Educational levels
Opportunities/Programs