Needs Assessment

Needs Assessment

Needs assessments are usually carried out in evaluation research to demonstrate and document a certain need in a community. It is a common task for all social workers to work on the social needs of their communities and even other communities, after which they have to come up with new ways to cater to and solve the needs. Therefore, a needs assessment is crucial as not all community members can solve specific needs in their communities. Evaluation research and needs assessments are usually carried out to examine the criteria that must be used to reach the desired outcome in a specific issue or field.

The Need/Gap: Poor Public Health

In Stockton, California, one of the main existing issues is the need for better public health. The streets of Stockton are mostly dirty. Still, there are poor programs that cater to garbage collection and street cleaning issues. This kind of dirt and garbage has affected the face of the city and the health of people living in Stockton (Hernadez, 2018). Since health is one of the most important things for humans, social science sees a need to solve this identified need by conducting a needs assessment through evaluation research. Stockton has been known to have a very weak municipality, so there are many social problems. Often, researchers have gathered information on how to solve social problems and forwarded their findings to the city municipal, but due to a lack of resources and community oneness, there has not been much progress.

Existing Data about Public Health

Existing data about the issue of public health is included in articles, newspapers, films, documentaries, spam emails, and other electronic sources of information. From past research, researchers attribute the issue of public health majorly to the failures of the town municipal. Other factors that have created a problem for public health are communal factors such as lack of public participation and failure of patriotism to Stockton. Industries based in Stockton are also major contributors to the issue of public health by the emission of industrial effluents in people-concentrated areas (Tarr, 1985). However, these are all findings of primary unrevised research requiring special evaluation and secondary research. Most social scientists who have looked at public health in Stockton have missed the essential part of developing a plan that focuses on how to improve public health.

Data Needed To Fill the Public Health Gap

In order to develop a plan to fill this gap, collaboration with local government agencies, other researchers, local authorities, human service agencies, and even hospitals is an important step. The inclusion of international social survey programs could also create a significant impact in getting more realistic data, which will be assessed and used to develop a plan to help solve the issue of public health (Culley, 2008).

The Interpretation and Analysis of Available Data

Key informants within the community, community leaders, local agencies, and general community members have consented to the use of surveys and interviews. Others will be incorporated in focus groups and community forums to gather the information that can be analyzed secondarily to develop a plan of action. A new plan of action may involve the development of new community agencies to address the problem or even the addition of new programs to existing agencies that will majorly cater to the cleanliness of the city and garbage collection.

Available Resources for Assessment of Public Health Concerns and Application of Obtained Information

The application of federal grants to finance new programs and organizations is the best way to go about public health. Since Stockton is a large community, there is a need for more organizations that cater to public health. The people of Stockton also need to be addressed and educated on the importance of general cleanliness since they are the ones who contribute to the issue firsthand. Newly developed programs or agencies must be evaluated to determine if they fill the gaps revealed by the needs assessment. Evaluating the success of an agency is essential.

Communication of the Results

Community leaders and associated community members are the main panels used to communicate information obtained from this needs assessment to other members of the community. In summary, I would apply this information to address other issues, such as pollution. For instance, the identified programs for educating people on the importance of general cleanliness could be applied to inform residents about the risks of pollution, such as adverse climate changes.

References

Culley, M. R., & Hughey, J. (2008). Power and public participation in a hazardous waste dispute: A community case study. American journal of community psychology, 41(1), 99-114.

Hernandez, M. (2018). The Stockton Challenge: Surviving the Misery of the Great Recession. Dialogues on the Delta: Approaches to the City of Stockton, 88.

Stern, A. M. (2005). Sterilized in the name of public health: race, immigration, and reproductive control in modern California. American journal of public health, 95(7), 1128-1138.

Tarr, J. A. (1985). Industrial wastes and public health: some historical notes, Part I, 1876-1932. American Journal of Public Health, 75(9), 1059-1067.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Write a paper using APA format, cite references, and submit a reference page.

Needs Assessment

Conduct a needs assessment on a need in your community. Answer the following questions, as identified in your text:

*What is the need or gap?
*What data exists about the need or gap?
*What data are needed in order to develop a plan to fill the gap?
*What resources are available to do the needs assessment?
*Who should be involved in the analysis and interpretation of the data?
*How will the information be used, and for what purpose?
*How will the results be communicated to community partners?
*In summary: How would you use this information to address any gaps?

Chapter 11 is the reading. Thanks