Community Assessment: Kent 98032 Health, Medicine Essay

Components

Findings

1. Population: The core of community is its people.

Identify the community or aggregate you are evaluating.

The evaluation is based on the population of Zip Code 98032, which is known as Kent Washington. The portion of Zip Code 98032 is contained within or border the city limits of Zip Code 98032.

Demographics: Number and density of total population

The findings should be population specific (i.e., the agency population, the group population)

a. Aggregate (Identify the population you are working with)

The working population is the general population of Zip Code 98032. In 2016, the population of Zip Code 98032 was 36,936. The urban population was 36,396 while rural population was 539. This includes the males, females, children, the elderly and the disabled.

b. Age and gender characteristics

The males are the majority and make up 50.4% of the population. The median age is 33.7 years. This is because people between 20 to 40 years make up 34.7% of the population. However, the elderly population decreases downwards as 85 years and over only makeup only 0.9% of the population.

c. Ethnic and racial distribution

The whites are 18,178 which is 53.7% of the population. Hispanics are next with 20.06% which is 9,363 people. American Indians consist of 1.3%, which is the lowest. The Hispanic and Blacks population in Zip Code 98032 is above the state average.

d. Occupation, income, and educational level

Zip Code 98032 is generally a middle-class community with 44.70% of people earning below $50,000 per year. The median household income is “$55,346”. The unemployment level is 4.60% which is higher than the county and national rate of 3.90%. However, 82.10% of the people are high school graduates or higher. Nevertheless, test score performance in public schools in Zip Code 98032 is below average compared to other public schools while 75.3% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

e. Other population factors pertinent to community

The black, Hispanic, and the foreign-born population in Zip Code 98032 are more than the state average. Meanwhile, the median age is below the state average.

2. Physical Environment: Physical assessment of the community environment is as important as the physical exam of the patient. (Utilize the relevant components of your windshield survey along with other pertinent research in reporting your findings and strengths and problems.)

a. Geopolitical boundaries of community

The political pattern in Zip Code 98032 favors Democrats. During the elections, 69.6% of the voters voted for Democratic candidates. As a result, the governor and senator of Washington are both from the Democratic party. Zip code 98032 borders Auburn, Des Moines, Federal Way, SeaTac, and Renton.

b. Size in square miles, areas, blocks, or census tracts

Zip Code 98032 is 16.7% square miles in land area while water area is 0.3% square miles. This translates to 2,208 people per square mile.

c. Description of built environment

The built environment contains modern structure as well as traditional structures. For instance, the majority of the houses were built in the 1980s and 1990s. However, there are also health facilities, schools, recreational parks, and churches.

d. Air quality

Zip Code 98032 has (259/271); 95.57% air quality which is more than other Zip codes. This may be due to its zone 3 status which implies that Zip Code 98032 is a green zone.

e. Housing

Over 60% of the houses were built in the 1980s and 1990s. Median home value is $234,700 which is high compared to the national average. However, rent makes up 62% of vacancy reasons while houses on sale make of 14% of the total houses. 34% of these residential houses are 2 bedrooms. 60% of the houses are made of bricks while 40% of them are in sub-standard conditions.

f. Transportation

2 Railroad systems take up 70% of all transportation activities in Kent. As such 65% of the people use public transport as compared to 40% In Washington. 70% of car owners commute to work alone while 14% carpool with others. However, one way commute in Kent takes 30 minutes as compared to the US average of 26 minutes.

g. Communication

100% of all households have communication means with mobile phones topping the list. 92% of people between 20 to 50 years use direct messages as a means of communication. 64% of the people view the internet and cell phones as a positive influence on communication.

h. Weather and Climates

Zip Code`98032 gets 38 inches of rain per year compared to 39 per year in the whole country. However, an average of 140 days per year is sunny. Summer is warmest during July at 77 degrees while winter is coolest at 37 degrees in January. However, Zip Code 98032 has a comfort index of 78 out of 100, which indicates a more comfortable year-round climate.

i. Environmental Hazards

There is a total of 317 environmental hazards in Zip Code 98032. 10 Brownfields and 11 Superfunds contribute to environmental hazards. However, Tanks and Spills contribute 256 times while 40 registered polluters also contribute to this disaster.

j. Strengths and Problems in Physical Environment: It is a good environment that has majority of social amenities such as schools, hospitals, roads, and parks. However, the number of registered polluters may not be good for the overall environment in the long-run.

3. Socio-economic Environment

a. Economic (e.g., financial and occupational characteristics, income and unemployment rate)

102,757 of the population are in the engineering occupation while 60,707 are in the legal occupation. Majority of the people in Zip Code 98032 hold middle-class economic status. This is evidenced by the median income of $55,346. However, the cost of living in Zip Code 98032 is 113.2 which is more than the country’s average measure of 100. More so, the unemployment rate is high at 5.80% compared to other Zip Codes. The relatively high unemployment rate explains why 17.4% of the population has income that is below the poverty below.

b. Public Safety (e.g., crime rate)

There were 27 registered sex offenders in Kent as of 10^th October 2018. The ratio of the total population to the number of sex offenders is 1, 368 to 1. This ratio is near the state average with regards to registered sex offenders and residents.

Updated on January 26, 2024