Community Health Project: Clayton Town-Nursing Paper Examples

A community health assessment identifies and describes a community’s current health status, needs, issues, and factors influencing a community’s health. The factors identified to aid in determining the available resources to address the health and other needs of the community. The identified health needs also guide the community health improvement initiatives and plans for addressing prioritized needs. This report offers processes and methods that aid in identifying and prioritizing essential health needs of Clayton Town, North Carolina (c) (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

Clayton, NC Overview

The Clayton town, North Carolina, is 13 miles southeast of Raleigh in Johnston County. The town has no defined boundaries and is described as part of the Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill Metro area. Governor Tyron’s Troops established the city around 1770 (CityTownInfo, 2020). The arrival of the North Carolina railroad in 1800 made the area known as Stallings Station. Later in 1869, the town was incorporated as the Clayton town. The roadways are clean and well maintained, while highways 42 and 70 are the major roads. Consequently, the town has a major railroad at the city’s center, passing over Shotwell Road, Powhatan Road, and Highway 42 East. Neuse River is the only waterway passing through the city.

Demographics

According to the US Census Bureau (2022), Clayton has a population of 29445 people. The population per square mile was 1725.7 as of 2020. Of the total population, 48.8% are males, while 51.2% are females. Furthermore, persons below five years are 5.8%, those under 18 years are 26.9%, and those 65 years and above are about 10.7%. The population’s average age is about 34 years, while elderly adults are about 9.7%. However, Around 55% of people are married, with the average household size comprising three individuals. The population has grown to 31871 in 2023 (World Population Review, 2023) (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

Clayton City also has diverse races and ethnic groups. Moreover, the largest ethnic communities include Hispanics and African Americans. The city’s population comprises about 23.39% African Americans, 0.56% other races, 66.4% Whites, 0.98% American Indians, and 0.68% Asians, with 2.19% coming from two or more races (World Population Review, 2023). On the population’s characteristics, the city had 17050 veterans and about 9.1% of foreign-born persons from 2017 to 2021(USA.com, 2023). English and Spanish are the most widely spoken languages (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples)

Health Factors and Indicators

The United States Census Bureau (2023) claims that Clayton town has about 14.4% of people (below 65 years) do not have health insurance. Lack of health coverage leads to poor health outcomes since uninsured individuals are unlikely to afford and access quality care when they fall ill (Baicker et al., 2023). The town also had about 8.3% of people (below 65 years) living with a disability from 2017 to 2021 (US Census Bureau, 2022). Obesity, diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, and mental illness are the major health threats among the population (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

Many people in the town are overweight and are at risk of developing obesity from unhealthy eating and a sedentary lifestyle. Obesity predisposes people to hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and heart diseases. Subsequently, homeless individuals will likely develop mental health illnesses that should be addressed. Drug and substance abuse among young people also leads to mental illnesses and poor health status (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

Clayton Town has ample health and social service centers. There are numerous primary care facilities and dental care centers. The main hospital within the town is the Johnston Medical Center, Clayton, while other nearby hospitals include Johnston Health Smithfield, Duke Raleigh Hospital, and WakeMed Hospital (CityTownInfo, 2020). However, the town has few mental health facilities to cater to the mental health and well-being of the people (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

In this case, the only mental health facility nearby is the Johnston County Public Health Department and Social Services Office, which is located in Smithfield, a neighboring town. The town offers pharmacy services from CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. Consequently, the town is clean and well-maintained, thus eliminating potential public health issues caused by poor hygiene. The town has parks such as Clayton Community Center, Legend Park, and Clayton Community Park that offer ambiance and clean air, reducing the risks of respiratory disorders (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

Despite the lack of adequate mental health services, Clayton Town has comprehensive health services for the people. However, there is a need to prioritize individuals suffering from mental health services who may not access specialized services and care. Individuals with mental illnesses are vulnerable individuals whose needs should be prioritized to improve their health and well-being. Mental health cases from drugs and substance abuse will also be considered as one of the health concerns in the town (Ignaszewski, 2021). There is a need for a mental healthcare facility in the town to improve mental health and well-being services (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

Housing

There are diverse house prices, ages, and housing construction materials. The owner-occupied housing unit rate was 65.7% from 2017 to 2021. The median home price is $372600 as of 2023 (Bestplace, 2023). The median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $224400, the median selected monthly owner costs with a mortgage was $1566, the median selected monthly owner costs without a mortgage were $549, while the median gross rent was $1211 within the same timeframe (US Census Bureau, 2022) (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

Notably, 6.73% of houses were built in1959 or earlier, 5.14% were built from 1960 to 1969, 6.99% were built from 1970 to 1979, 11.22% from 1980 to 1989, 21.5% were from 1990 to 1999, and 48.42% were built from 2000 up to date (USA.com, 2020). The main building materials include wood, brick, and siding. Recent houses have central heating, modern plumbing, and air conditioning. The properties are close enough except those built on farms or large land (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

Education and Income (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples)

There are higher education institutions such as Shaw University, North Carolina State University at Raleigh, and Wake Technical Community College near the town. The town has libraries such as Hocutt Ellington Memorial Library, public schools such as Clayton High and Clayton Middle, and private schools such as the Academy of Hope that offer educational opportunities (CityTownInfo, 2020). About 94.1% of the town population (aged 25 years and above) are pursuing high school graduate or higher, while 29.5% are pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree as of 2017.

The rate of unemployment is 4.1% (Bestplace, 2023). The median income is $56941 as of 2023. Furthermore, the median earnings for high school graduates are $25608, while those without high school qualifications earn $25098. The median household income is $63166, while the Per Capita income for 12 months is $31582, while about 7.8% of people are in poverty (CityTownInfo, 2020) (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

Conclusion

A community health assessment identifies and describes a community’s current health status, needs, and issues. The assessment also describes actors influencing a community’s health. This report offers processes and methods that aid in identifying and prioritizing essential health needs of Clayton Town, North Carolina. Although Clayton Town has adequate health services, it lacks enough mental health care and services (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

The town depends on mental health, the Johnston County Public Health Department, and the social services office in Smithfield town. Thus, there is a need to prioritize individuals suffering from mental health services who may not access the required specialized services and care. Individuals with mental illnesses are vulnerable individuals whose needs should be prioritized to improve their health and well-being. Mental health cases from drugs and substance abuse will also be considered as one of the health concerns in the town (Community Health Project-Nursing Paper Examples).

References

Baicker, K., Chandra, A., & Shepard, M. (2023). Achieving Universal Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: Addressing Market Failures or Providing a Social Floor? (No. w30854). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w30854/w30854.pdf

Best places. (2023). Clayton, North Carolina. Retrieved from http://www.usa.com/clayton-nc.htm

CityTownInfo. (2020). Clayton, North Carolina. Retrieved from https://www.citytowninfo.com/places/north-carolina/clayton

Ignaszewski, M. J. (2021). The epidemiology of drug abuse. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 61, S10-S17. 10.1002/jcph.1937

United States Census Bureau. (2022). Clayton Town, North Carolina. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045222

USA.com. (2023). Clayton, NC. Retrieved from http://www.usa.com/clayton-nc.htm

World Population Review. (2023). Clayton, North Carolina Population 2023. Retrieved from https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/clayton-nc-population