The purpose of the community health assessment is to identify health needs and risks, as well as strengths and assets, in Palm Beach County.
Palm Beach County, Florida consists of 2,386.33 square miles; of which 1,969.76 square miles is land and 412.22 square miles is water. With over 1.3 million people, Palm Beach County is “the third-most populous county in Florida” (Wikipedia, 2014). West Palm Beach is the biggest city with a population of 102,436 and the location of the county’s three major hospitals, including St Mary's Medical Center, Columbia Hospital, and Good Samaritan Medical Center (Adprime Media, 2014). Martin County lies to the north of Palm Beach County, with Broward County to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and …show more content…
The Palm Beach County population groups age 65+ experienced a dramatic increase compared to other age groups (US Census Bureau, 2014). The U.S. Census Bureau reported that White, non-Hispanics currently represent 76.5 % of the county’s population while Hispanics account for 20.3 %. Other ethnic groups include African Americans (18.5 %), Asian (2.6 %), American Indians or Alaska Native (0.6 %), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (0.1%) and 1.6 % persons reporting two or more races (US Census Bureau, 2014). Latin Americans (e.g., Haitians, Cubans, Mexicans and Columbians) make up the biggest percentage of foreign-born residents in Palm Beach County; therefore, Creole, Spanish, and French are the most non-English languages spoken at home (Fleshler, East, & Williams, …show more content…
There are nine health department centers, three Senior Centers, sixteen hospitals that have 24-hour emergency rooms, and five fire departments throughout the county. In addition, the county has well over ten law enforcement agencies working together to keep the community safe, and it shows! The crime rate has declined in Palm Beach County (Leifert, 2014).
Most people get around by car or Palm Beach County’s transportation system (e.g., Palm Tran bus or Tri-Rail train). While observing the community, many bus stops were occupied with 4-5 awaiting passengers. The overall condition of the roads in Palm Beach County is good.
Currently, Palm Beach County’s air quality is good (AirNow, 2014). In David Fleshler’s article featured in the Sun Sentinel he states that Palm Beach County has “excellent air quality, thanks largely to ocean breezes, flat topography and an absence of heavy industry. Although the region had some air quality problems in the 1970s, these cleared up as cleaner cars mandated by federal pollution controls started replacing older models” (Fleshler, 2014). 100% of public water supplies have been surveyed in Palm Beach Count and “100% were found free of contamination or at levels below the standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act” (Florida Department of Health,
Palm Beach County, Florida consists of 2,386.33 square miles; of which 1,969.76 square miles is land and 412.22 square miles is water. With over 1.3 million people, Palm Beach County is “the third-most populous county in Florida” (Wikipedia, 2014). West Palm Beach is the biggest city with a population of 102,436 and the location of the county’s three major hospitals, including St Mary's Medical Center, Columbia Hospital, and Good Samaritan Medical Center (Adprime Media, 2014). Martin County lies to the north of Palm Beach County, with Broward County to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and …show more content…
The Palm Beach County population groups age 65+ experienced a dramatic increase compared to other age groups (US Census Bureau, 2014). The U.S. Census Bureau reported that White, non-Hispanics currently represent 76.5 % of the county’s population while Hispanics account for 20.3 %. Other ethnic groups include African Americans (18.5 %), Asian (2.6 %), American Indians or Alaska Native (0.6 %), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (0.1%) and 1.6 % persons reporting two or more races (US Census Bureau, 2014). Latin Americans (e.g., Haitians, Cubans, Mexicans and Columbians) make up the biggest percentage of foreign-born residents in Palm Beach County; therefore, Creole, Spanish, and French are the most non-English languages spoken at home (Fleshler, East, & Williams, …show more content…
There are nine health department centers, three Senior Centers, sixteen hospitals that have 24-hour emergency rooms, and five fire departments throughout the county. In addition, the county has well over ten law enforcement agencies working together to keep the community safe, and it shows! The crime rate has declined in Palm Beach County (Leifert, 2014).
Most people get around by car or Palm Beach County’s transportation system (e.g., Palm Tran bus or Tri-Rail train). While observing the community, many bus stops were occupied with 4-5 awaiting passengers. The overall condition of the roads in Palm Beach County is good.
Currently, Palm Beach County’s air quality is good (AirNow, 2014). In David Fleshler’s article featured in the Sun Sentinel he states that Palm Beach County has “excellent air quality, thanks largely to ocean breezes, flat topography and an absence of heavy industry. Although the region had some air quality problems in the 1970s, these cleared up as cleaner cars mandated by federal pollution controls started replacing older models” (Fleshler, 2014). 100% of public water supplies have been surveyed in Palm Beach Count and “100% were found free of contamination or at levels below the standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act” (Florida Department of Health,