Western Governors University: Sentinel City Community Assessment

This assignment is a community assessment of Sentinel City, a virtual city used in nursing education to simulate real-world community health scenarios. The student conducted a "windshield survey," observing the city's physical and social environment to gather data on housing, open spaces, transportation, service centers, and the people within the community. The assessment includes observations on the age and condition of buildings, the availability of public transportation, the presence of social agencies, and signs of community vibrancy, such as arts and cultural expression. The student also considered demographic information provided in the assignment brief, including population size, age and race breakdowns, median household income, and poverty levels for each of the city's four neighborhoods. The assessment aims to identify health-related issues and potential areas for intervention based on the observed conditions and demographic data. The student's findings are presented in a structured format, answering specific questions related to various elements of the community and providing insights into the city's overall health and well-being. The student notes the presence of various services and stores, and the general appearance of the environment, identifying potential areas for improvement and further investigation.

COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT WINDSHIELD SURVEY
Directions:
As you “drive” through Sentinel City, write about your impressions of the community. Take
notes about the community using the following questions as a guide. You may discover other
areas that you want to note. Include your findings in the community description section of
your paper.
1

ELEMENT DESCRIPTION:
Housing and Commercial Buildings:
• How old are the houses and buildings in the community?
Ans: Moderately old house
• What materials are the homes and buildings constructed from?
Ans: Most of the building are built by breaks
• Are all the houses similar in age and architecture?
Ans: In commercial zone the houses are more advanced in architectural sense
• How would you characterize their differences?
Ans: The windows and doors pattern, the pattern celling
• Are the houses detached or connected to each other?
Ans: Most of the houses are connected
• Are there solar panels? Windmills?
Ans: NO
• Do the houses have space in front or behind them?
Ans: Not adequate
• What is the general condition of the houses and buildings?
Ans: Moderate to good
• Are there signs of disrepair (e.g., broken doors or windows, leaks, missing locks)?
Ans: NO
• Are there signs of neighborhood pride, such as well-tended yards?  Is there central
heating, modern plumbing, air conditioning?
Ans: Rare
Open space:
• Is the county primarily rural, suburban, urban, or a mix? How much open space is
there?
Ans: Urban
• What is the quality of the space (i.e., lush green parks or rubble-filled lots)?
Ans: Rubble-filled lots
• What is the lot size of the houses, lawns, and flower boxes?
Ans: NO
• Do you see trees on the streets or a green island in the center of the streets?
Ans: NO
2

• Is the open space public or private? Who uses this space?
Ans: Public
Boundaries:
• What signs are there of where neighborhoods begin and end?
Ans: No signs
• Are the boundaries natural (a river, a different terrain); physical (a highway, a
railroad); or economic (differences in real estate or presence of industrial or
commercial units along with residential)?
Ans: Presence of roadblock
• Do the neighborhoods have an identity or a name? Do you see them displayed? Are
there unofficial names?
Ans: Nothing displayed
“Commons”:
• What are the neighbour-hood hangouts (e.g., schoolyard, convenience store, bar,
restaurant, park, 24-hour drugstore)?
Ans: Park, restaurant
• What groups of people tend to gather at these hangouts?
Ans: Aged people
• At what time do they typically meet?
Ans: N/A
• Does the commons area have a sense of territoriality, or is it open to everyone?
Ans: Open to everyone
Transportation:
• How do people get in and out of the neighborhoods (e.g., car, bus, bike, walking)?
Ans: Walking
• Are the streets and roads conducive to good transportation and bicycle use and also to
community life?
Ans: NO
• Are there major highways running through the county? Who do these highways serve?
Ans: NO
• How frequently is public transportation available?
Ans: Frequently
• Are gas stations available?
3

Ans: YES
• Are there train stations or light rail stations?
Ans: No
Service centers:
• Do you see social agencies, clients, recreation centers, signs of activity at the schools?
Ans: School, social agencies
• Are there offices of doctors, dentists, and other such services?
Ans: YES
• Are there parks? Are these parks in use?
Ans: YES
Stores:
• Where do residents shop (e.g., shopping centers, neighborhood stores, outdoor
markets)? ***Note: The Bodega is currently the only building that you can go
into in Sentinel City***
• How do they travel?
Ans: Mostly bus and bicycle, some by private car.
People out and about:
• If you are traveling during the day, who do you see on the street (e.g., an occasional
passerby, a father with a baby)?
Ans: A passer-by
• Do you see anyone you would not expect?
Ans: Disabled person
• Can you spot the purpose of those that you see, such as a door-to-door salesperson or
a postal worker?
Ans: NO
• Is the dress of those you see representative or unexpected?
Ans: NO
• What animals do you see (e.g., stray cats, pedigreed pets, watchdogs, birds, wildlife)?
Ans: Cats, dogs
Signs of community vibrancy:
• Is the community alive?
4

Ans: YES, very much
• How would you decide?
Ans: There internal interaction
• Are there signs of arts and cultural expression?
Ans: NO
• Do you see any of the following: street vendors, trash, abandoned cars, political
posters, neighborhood-meeting posters, real estate signs, abandoned houses, mixed
zoning usage, people tending their yards, sidewalks in good repair, historical places?
Ans:
Race:
 Are the residents primarily Caucasian, African-American, Asian, of another group, or is
the area integrated?
Ans: Caucasian
Ethnicity:
 Are there indications of ethnicity—food stores, churches, private schools, information
or signs in a language other than English?
Ans: Not significantly
Religion:
• Of what religion are the residents?
Ans: Mostly Christian
• Do you see evidence of heterogeneity or homogeneity?
Ans: No
• What denominations are the churches, temples, and mosques?
Ans: Churche
• Do you see evidence of these religious facilities being used other than on days of
worship?
Ans: Used for free meal services
Health:
• Do you see evidence of acute or of chronic diseases or conditions?
Ans: NO
5

• Do you see evidence of accidents, communicable morbidity diseases, alcoholism,
Ans: NO
• drug addiction, mental illness, etc.?
Ans: NO
• How far it is to the nearest hospital? To the nearest clinic?
Ans: within 5 to 7 kilometre
Politics:
• Do you see any political campaign posters?
Ans: No
• Is there a headquarters present?
Ans: No
• Do you see evidence of a predominant party affiliation?
Ans: NO
Media:
• Do you see indications of television use such as satellite dishes?
Ans: NO
• What magazines and newspapers do residents read?
Ans: N/A
• What media do you see being sold in the stores?
Ans: Magazine
• What form of media seems most important to the residents (e.g., radio, television,
print, online)?
Ans: Radio
• What languages are represented in the various forms of media?
Ans: English
Physical environment:
• Are there indications of an excess of certain types of activities, such as stores that sell
alcohol or fast food restaurants?
Ans: NO
• What sorts of billboards are displayed and what do they indicate?
Ans: NO
6

• Are there many cell phone towers or is cell phone access limited?
Ans: NO
Adapted from Anderson ET, McFarlane J: Community as client: Application of the
nursing process. Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott.
7