Reference no: EM133284463

Assignment - Make a Comment on Walking Surveys Discussion

Windshield and walking assessments according to the Community Tool Box reading assigned to us this week is a way to make observations about a community by driving or walking around the geographical area. The assessments are a form of informal environmental scanning. I found an academic article published in 1971 about the windshield survey model that leads me to believe this model has been in community health practice for decades. The model creates systemic observations that "can be used to assess general community needs - to estimate the poverty level, for example - or to examine more specific facets of the community's physical, social, or economic character" (Rabinowitz, n.d.). Ideally this type of observation assessment is done in teams and a plan of action and list of questions that are hoped to be answered is created prior to windshielding and walking the community. Areas of community and time of day/week/season are agreed upon by the group. According to the Community Tool Box, assessments can be about housing, parks, culture, streetscape and use, infrastructure, health services, and the "feel" of the community. According to HSMHA Health Reports, windshield and walking "can result in entirely new perspectives [and] response from the community" (Callan, 1971).

The neighborhood in which I am completing my practicum impact the populations health in positive and negative ways. Having the clinic on campus of a hospital assists with keeping resources at arm's reach. The location of the clinic is right next to a major freeway and a bus stop that creates an accessible route for healthcare. Negatively speaking, the clinic is not a welcoming building with very little character or life to it. The building is basically an old office building converted with three floors and tiny exam rooms and small hallways. It would be nice to have it be more welcoming and comfortable for the patients.