Community Resources Available for the Emerging Family Nurses must be able to knowledgeably plan services for individuals, families and the community. In order to effectively plan, it is essential that you are aware of the resources specific to the community a client resides in to allow for identification of health-related resources and to understand gaps in services. This analysis is a component of a Physical Assessment subsystem. It is a scientific method commonly utilized to gather data within communities. You must travel through an identified community to gather data that you can SEE, that you can HEAR, that you can SMELL, and that you can possibly TOUCH. You should imagine that you are a maternity home health nurse assigned to complete an assessment in a community that you know nothing about, and will be visiting for the first time. You must NOT include your current perspective or beliefs about what you feel about the community or its strengths and weaknesses if you are already a person living within the community. Conditions and trends in the community that could affect the health of the pregnant women or her newborn baby should be noted. Resources may include available obstetrical and gynecological offices, pediatric offices, nurse mid-wife practices, any the health departments, WIC, or other supportive programs/resources for young families within the community. This data provides background and context for working with individuals and families in their community. Information gathered should be added to this template and then developed into a report. Please print and turned the completed report to be presented during post-conference at your clinical site. If data is collected (statistical, informational, geographic), then a reference page using APA format (6th edition) is expected. You will want to photograph key points of interest or concern in the community. You must take photos to provide a visual overview of various community resources available to pregnant women. Please include the group members in some of the photographs to verify who is present while completing the assessment. Do NOT include any photographs of people in the community due to privacy issues as it relates to not obtaining written consent to photograph. As you drive around the community, stay safe. If there are areas of the community that you do not feel safe driving through, then don’t do it. Your sense of danger is assessment information unto itself, and should be included in the assessment section called “Further Information of Interest”. Remember that besides what you see, hear, smell, and tough, you can also talk with community members that you meet while conducting the assessment. An assigned group of students will work together to complete this assessment. Preparation for the assessment should take about 4 hours. The group will need to research and familiarize yourselves with published resources about the community as it pertains to prenatal care, heal ...

1. Community Resources Available for the Emerging Family
Nurses must be able to knowledgeably plan services for
individuals, families and the community. In order to effectively
plan, it is essential that you are aware of the resources specific
to the community a client resides in to allow for identification
of health-related resources and to understand gaps in services.
This analysis is a component of a Physical Assessment
subsystem. It is a scientific method commonly utilized to gather
data within communities. You must travel through an identified
community to gather data that you can SEE, that you can
HEAR, that you can SMELL, and that you can possibly
TOUCH. You should imagine that you are a maternity home
health nurse assigned to complete an assessment in a community
that you know nothing about, and will be visiting for the first
time.
You must NOT include your current perspective or beliefs about
what you feel about the community or its strengths and
weaknesses if you are already a person living within the
community. Conditions and trends in the community that could
affect the health of the pregnant women or her newborn baby
should be noted. Resources may include available obstetrical
and gynecological offices, pediatric offices, nurse mid-wife
practices, any the health departments, WIC, or other supportive
programs/resources for young families within the community.
This data provides background and context for working with
individuals and families in their community. Information
gathered should be added to this template and then developed
into a report. Please print and turned the completed report to be
presented during post-conference at your clinical site. If data is
collected (statistical, informational, geographic), then a
reference page using APA format (6th edition) is expected.
You will want to photograph key points of interest or concern in
the community. You must take photos to provide a visual
overview of various community resources available to pregnant

2. women. Please include the group members in some of the
photographs to verify who is present while completing the
assessment. Do NOT include any photographs of people in the
community due to privacy issues as it relates to not obtaining
written consent to photograph. As you drive around the
community, stay safe. If there are areas of the community that
you do not feel safe driving through, then don’t do it. Your
sense of danger is assessment information unto itself, and
should be included in the assessment section called “Further
Information of Interest”. Remember that besides what you see,
hear, smell, and tough, you can also talk with community
members that you meet while conducting the assessment.
An assigned group of students will work together to complete
this assessment. Preparation for the assessment should take
about 4 hours. The group will need to research and familiarize
yourselves with published resources about the community as it
pertains to prenatal care, healthcare delivery systems, and
resources for young families. Next the group should spend about
4 hours driving throughout the community to visualize,
photograph, and experience the resource firsthand. Last, it
should take the group about 4 hours to organize a summary
report reflecting on the quality and availability of community
resources available to pregnant women and their emerging
family. Please include in the report items that you found
lacking in the community. The report does not have to be
completed in one day. If it is more convenient for the group, it
can be broken down into 3 different time periods.
Boundaries
Are the boundaries geographical, political, or economic?
Do neighborhoods have names?
Are there sub-communities?
How are these identified?
Notes (to make notes about the questions on the left)

3. Housing and Zoning
What is the age of the buildings? Are the residences single
family or multifamily dwellings?
Signs of Decay
Is the area well maintained or in disrepair? Is there garbage
strewn? Are there trashed/abandoned cars, places for rodents or
other wildlife to hide, vacant lots?
Parks and Recreational Areas
Are there play areas for children? Are they safe and
maintained?
Common Areas
Where do families collect for social gatherings; where do they
“hang out”? Are they for particular groups or are they open to
all? Are there signs posted?
OB/GYN Offices, Nurse Mid-Wife Practices or Health
Department Agencies
What agencies offer prenatal care in the area?
Transportation
How do most people get around the area? Is there public
transportation? If so, what kind and does it appear to be used?
Who uses it? What is the condition of the streets, roads,
highways?
Pediatric Physician Offices

4. Is there evidence of any pediatric practices or providers that
offer pediatric services?
Service Centers
What family related services are available in the community –
health care, social services, schools, WIC, Health
Mothers/Health Babies? Are there any outreach centers for
families?
People in the Community
Who is in the area during the day? What evidence is there of
particular “classes” of people – upper, middle, working, lower?
Hospitals or Urgent Care Centers
Are there any hospitals that offer maternity or pediatric services
in the area?
Protective Services
Where are fire and police stations located? Is there evidence of
police and fire protection in the area? Is DCF located within the
community?
Shelters
Are there any shelters or recovery centers in the area offering
services for women and their children?
Religion
What churches and church-run schools are in the area
(denomination)? How many are there of each denomination?

5. Health and Morbity
Is there evidence of any health problems such as drug/alcohol
abuse, communicable or chronic diseases, and mental illness
(etc)?
Daycare Facilities
Are there any day care centers in the area and what do they
charge for providing care? Is this cost supplemented by a
governmental agency?
Further Information of Interest
List any noteworthy observations or concerns observed in the
community.