The American Museum of Natural History (ANHM) certificate and Task 1 for course C228 Community Health and Population Focused Nursing are the two artifacts that were utilized for the development of the definition for community health nursing.  The AMNH certificate was earned during the first require course Care of the older adult.

The community health task was segmented into two different sections. Part one of the community task helped identify the primary health concern for the people of Carver County. This task started off with 25 required hours. An initial investigation of Carver County was conducted during a windshield survey, a scavenger hunt and even a cultural interview. The details of Carver County can all be located in the uploaded artifact for this section. Statistics are an important part of any assessment as it identifies those that may be at a significantly larger risk for negative health outcomes. After analyzing the data, it was determined that obesity was the most significant health concern for the people of Carver county. I was able to identify the levels an gaps in services that may lead to health disparities. The County has numerous resources and has numerous agencies working to improve the health and reduce the obesity rate In Carver County. Improving access to out door parks and walking paths is a significant goal for Government of Carver County.

B. Discover what you learned led to your diagnosis

Carver County is a healthy county as its scores in the top two counties for overall health and health outcomes. During this process an identification of obesity occurred when analyzing the health outcomes of Carver county. When compared to the state and national level Carver County is relatively healthy, but the population of Carver County will continue to grow and the rate of obesity may also increase. There were two other areas of concern and they were excessive drinking and prevelance of sexually transmitted diseases.

c. Discover how your initial focus and diagnosis changed after Working with your community.

As more time was spent working with community leaders and medical expert a more developed diagnosis occurred. The primary concern is obesity for Carver County is obesity. This was the health issue that has the most significant impact on the residents of carver county. During the beginning of my field experience there were numerous agencies and community experts that were visited and consulted. An indepth-anaylis of the local grocerry store and identification of potential food deserts took place during the task. After meeting with individuals from a local elementary school, park board members, pediatricans and dieticians the focused population and detailed project population was identified to be children and adolescents. The prevention of childhood obesity is of growing concern because of the growing migrant population that may not have access or the resources to purchase healthy foods. An on site tour of local food shelters and community gardens were also helpful for the project. Numerous on sit visits of after school programs and daycare where helpful in the development of required interventions for the prevention of childhood obesity. Community outreach and collaboration of stake holders will be required for this concern and primary prevention strategies.