Metropolitan Community Mapping Project-Nursing Examples

Part I: Harford County, Maryland

The US has 50 states, not including the District of Columbia, which is treated as a federal district and not a state. The state of Maryland constitutes different counties, including Harford County, and has a total area of 527 square miles, most of which is covered by landmass, and 17% is water (MacKereth, 2019). Its boundaries border the Piedmont plateau and the Atlantic Coastal Plains; its highest levels are north and northeast near Pennsylvania (Metropolitan Community Mapping Project).

The lowest parts are located at the Chesapeake Bay. In 2010, census records indicated that Harford County had a population averaging 244,826, with Glenville’s most populated place (Desai et al., 2018). The county is adjacent to Baltimore County to the west, Cecil County to the east, York County to the north, Kent County to the south, and Lancaster County to the northeast. It has two major cities, Aberdeen and Havre de Grace. 

History

Harford County’s history stretches back to 1608 when Massawomecks and Susquehannocks inhabited the region east of Baltimore. Its existence draws upon a signed treaty between the English and the Susquehannocks. Later in 1774, Harford County was created and had 13,000 people (Desai et al., 2018). Although it had a small population, significant events happened there. Consequently, including the signing of the Bush Declaration that later culminated in the American Revolution (Metropolitan Community Mapping Project).

Furthermore, Harford County’s environmental history is based on its land use and the existence of the Chesapeake Bay at its lower elevation. As a result, environmental issues emerged and were associated with the region’s topographical orientation ranging from soil and groundwater contamination, water pollution, and land use (Metropolitan Community Mapping Project). 

Demography

The US Census Bureau documents American population characteristics concerning structure, development, and size. According to the 2000 and 2010 census demographics, Harford County has had significant changes in its population and other areas (Desai et al., 2018). In 2000, the county was composed of 218,590 people, 79,667 households, and 60,387 families(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project).

Moreover, In contrast, the 2010 population census recorded 244,826 people, 90,218 households, and 66,335 families (Allen et al., 2019). In the context of racial makeup, African Americans accounted for 9.27% of the total population. Consequently, Native Americans were 0.3%, 81.2% Whites, and 1.53% from other races in 2000. Likewise, in the 2010 census, there were 12.7% African Americans. In addition, Native Americans were 0.23%, 86.77% Whites, and 3.5% from other races.

Economy

The economic status in Harford County is primarily characterized by the number of employees recruited by employers. Over the years, the county’s economy has increased but has shrunk with the current Covid-19 pandemic. In 2014, the number of employees increased compared to 2011 and exponentially increased in 2020 (MacKereth, 2019). The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development records the number of people recruited for different job positions by top employers (Metropolitan Community Mapping Project).

Cultural Elements

Harford County boasts a rich cultural heritage drawn from historical events and practices. There is an orchestra group known as the Susquehanna Symphony composed of over 80 musicians from various professions. Havre De Grace, one of the most populated regions in the county, is a historical museum. Consequently, containing a rich heritage of creating and refining decorative decoys. The Harford Community College has theaters and cultural spots managed by the Historical Society of Harford County. Hence, promote, preserve, and interpret the county’s history(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project). 

Available Resources

Harford County provides numerous resources and services to communities and its members. In terms of infrastructure, the country has significant highways across cities to address mass transportation needs. The Harford Transit is a county-owned department that manages all city buses, while the state-operated MARC commuter rail serves both Aberdeen and Edgewood (Allen et al., 2019). The county has the Harford County Airport facility that provides flight training and other recreational activities(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project).

In the health sector, medical services are provided by the Upper Chesapeake Health System, composed of the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center and the Harford Memorial Hospital. Harford County offers primary and secondary education through county public schools and private institutions. Although there are no 4-year universities in the county, Harford Community College has partnered with other colleges to provide quality associate degrees and vocational programs. Several media-providing platforms, such as newspaper agencies, radio stations, and the Harford Cable Network, are responsible for delivering local TV(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project). 

Part II: Needs Assessment and Planning

Family is the most important social entity to every human. The family systems theory provides that what impacts one family member impacts all family members because the family is a system of interconnected parts. In the case of the Mulholland family, its members have been befallen by a death tragedy that they must confront. Tragedies such as death can change an individual’s perspective towards life and their communities in general, especially if the departed was dear to every family member(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project).

The Mulholland family members, the father, and three children have relocated to Maryland state to be close to their paternal family members. The major problem faced is grief and challenges associated with comping with factual events in the last six months. Each family member has different needs. Matthew, Christine, and Joshua have social, physiological, and psychological needs given their ability to function well in larger social groups. Likewise, the father has similar conditions to cope with his wife’s demise and economic needs to plan for the children since the family has one stream of income(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project). 

Every individual has values that guide regular activities. Similarly, family settings exhibit agreed-on values that every member shares regardless of attitudes and behaviors. Research indicates that family decisions are based on education, socio-economic status, race, and religion and reflect a family’s values. Therefore, it is critical to understand how different societies perceive family values related to other entities and ascertain whether the perception references cultural frameworks(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project).

The Mulholland family has its values. In most cases, children emulate values from siblings and parents, which compels them to focus on adult value expression and personal value creation. As the father begins to engage in drinking behavior, the children learn the vice to cope with anxiety, thus compromising family values(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project).

Harford County has many resources that can help meet the needs of the Mulholland family. Firstly, the children should have access to education, and this will be provided by the county’s public and private schools. The county has thirty-two elementary schools, nine middle schools, ten high schools, and one charter school. The father has easy decision-making efforts for the most viable school choice for the children while also considering financial capabilities(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project). 

The county has adequate health services that can meet the family’s health needs. In Havre De Grace, there is the Harford Memorial Hospital, while in Bel Air, there is the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. Therefore, the family remains assured of quality care, particularly therapy, to cope with grief and fit into social setting(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project)s. 

The father is a high school teacher and could access numerous job opportunities. Harford County has private and county public schools, including ten high schools, which indicates a vast pool of educational resources available. Therefore, the father’s economic needs remains achievable while still achieving individual and family goals; hence it an informed decision to relocate back to Maryland State. Although Harford County resources exist in the public domain, their ability to meet every citizen’s needs remains an issue of concern given that relevant county departments have to cater to the whole population. I think that the resources provided in Harford County are adequate to meet the entire population’s needs. 

Part III (Metropolitan Community Mapping Project)

I think Harford County could be ideal to meet my needs and wants. Currently, I have social, physical, and wealth needs and wants. Everyone wants to be in a conducive environment that can address pertinent personal and social issues relating to communal intrigues. For instance, my physical needs allow the county to sustain life and maintain general physical characteristics(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project).

Harford County has a vast heritage of sports and arts. As an active sportsperson, am intrigued by the art of different forms. The county also has numerous job opportunities present in both public and private institutions, which would help me meet my wealth needs and improve my livelihood and that of my family. Also, my social needs will be catered for by various activities that enhance relationships and interactions with other people.

In the future, I believe that I will have a family. Apart from having personal needs, meeting family needs and wants is necessary. My children will require quality education, and I will have to provide the resources needed to facilitate their needs. Social needs are also crucial for every family member, especially when building relations with others and fitting into society. Another future need would be the physical needs that would require county resources can sustain life, obtain sensory pleasure, and enhance other physical characteristics(Metropolitan Community Mapping Project). 

Harford County has many resources that can meet future family needs and wants. The above needs and wants remains all present in the county, which means addressing my family’s needs adequately remains essential. Therefore, I think that the county should improve and streamline access to its resources by the public (Metropolitan Community Mapping Project).

References

Allen, S., Brenner, A., Quiñones, A., Carroll, A., Keddington, C., Larson, J., … & Sanders, M. (2019). A New Third Place in Harford County.

Desai, J., Jembu Rajkumar, A., Simha, S., & Soni, M. (2018). Let’s Visit Harford County. Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS).

MacKereth, N. (2019). Appendix A: Housing and Economic Development. Background Reports: A Framework Plan for Preservation and Growth in Creswell, 2.