Flushing and Whitestone Disease Prevention Plan
This paper presents a disease prevention plan for the Flushing and Whitestone neighborhoods of New York City. Drawing on community health profiles and hospital service data, it examines the demographic makeup of the region, the leading causes of premature death, and the health disparities facing minority and low-income residents. The paper identifies priority issues including fall-related hospitalizations among older adults, low HIV testing rates, cancer screening gaps, and preterm birth risks. It outlines primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies and presents a structured project plan with objectives, responsible parties, and evaluation criteria aligned with Healthy People 2020 targets.
- Introduction: NYC neighborhood health inequities and paper purpose
- Community Setting and Role: Leading causes of death and hospital service area
- Target Population: Demographics, education, insurance, and access barriers
- Priority Health Issues: Minority health disparities, preterm births, and fall hospitalizations
- Plan of Care: Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies
- Project Plan Map: Objectives, activities, and evaluation benchmarks
- Conclusion: Community assessment against WHO Healthy Cities criteria
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds its recommendations in local epidemiological data (NYC Community Health Profiles, FHMC Community Service Plan), giving the prevention plan a credible, evidence-based foundation.
- Applies a three-tiered prevention framework (primary, secondary, tertiary) consistently across all identified health issues, demonstrating command of public health nursing methodology.
- The project plan map translates broad health goals into concrete, measurable objectives with assigned responsibilities and five-year evaluation benchmarks.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper uses community health profiling — systematically characterizing a population by demographics, socioeconomic status, leading causes of death, and access barriers — to justify a targeted intervention plan. This technique links epidemiological evidence directly to practice-level recommendations, a core skill in community and public health nursing coursework.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief contextual introduction about New York City's neighborhood health inequities. It then characterizes the community setting and hospital service area, profiles the target population demographically, identifies priority health issues (falls, HIV, cancer, premature births), and presents a multi-level plan of care. A formatted project plan matrix operationalizes the plan with objectives and timelines, and the conclusion evaluates the community against WHO Healthy Cities criteria.
Introduction
New York City comprises several distinct neighborhoods, each defined by its diversity, vast historical background, and unique population. However, prolonged and gradually increasing income inequality, coupled with a history of racial segregation, has given rise to striking health disparities between neighborhoods. There is a tendency for deteriorating health outcomes to concentrate in areas where people of color reside and where many people live in poverty. The purpose of this paper is to present a disease prevention plan for the neighborhoods of Flushing and Whitestone.
Community Setting and Role
Within this area, the most prevalent cause of premature death is cancer, with a likelihood of 24 percent, followed by heart disease at 21 percent. Other causes constitute 42 percent and include accidental incidents (5 percent), HIV-related deaths (3 percent), homicide (3 percent), and suicide (2 percent). It is important to note that these causes of premature death affect both men and women, particularly those between 45 and 64 years of age. For individuals aged 65 and older, the leading causes of death are cancer and heart disease (New York City Department, 2002). Among men, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers are the primary causes of death, while among women, lung, breast, and colorectal cancers are the main causes. Additional causes of premature death among individuals aged 65 and older include injuries from falls (Ashpole et al., 2013).
The preceptor in this context is a senior clinical staff member at Flushing Hospital Medical Center. Taking into account the demographic characteristics of its primary service area, Flushing Hospital has identified key concerns within the community it serves and is committed to reducing disparities in healthcare access in order to improve the health status of all populations. Accordingly, mortality rates and data representing characteristics from each of the ten most significant areas identified by New York City's Take Care New York (TCNY) 2016 initiative are outlined for Flushing Hospital's service region, with comparisons made against neighboring areas such as Queens and New York City overall.
Target Population
The population of the region spans over 255,000, comprising 52% of individuals of Asian descent, 28% White, 17% Hispanic, 2% African American, and 2% other. Approximately 57 percent of the people in the region were born outside of the United States, and 47 percent are not proficient in English. According to the community data profile, roughly 70 percent of residents rated their own health as excellent, very good, or good, with a life expectancy of 83.6 years (NYC Health, 2015).
Several factors prevent members of the target community from fully utilizing the healthcare system. These include cultural barriers, particularly those associated with religious beliefs, as well as a lack of health literacy and familiarity with the existing healthcare system. There is a significant need for religious leaders and the broader community to work together to promote healthcare maintenance and increase awareness of the prevalent causes of death and illness within the community. For instance, one approach is to emphasize the importance of maintaining heart health and the value of early detection and treatment of various cancers. Two of the most common contributing factors to heart disease among community residents are high cholesterol and high blood pressure; screening residents and establishing management programs are therefore essential steps (Ashpole et al., 2013).
The educational attainment of residents in the target community varies. The majority of community members have earned either a high school diploma or some college education, at 28 percent and 42 percent respectively. An additional 23 percent of residents aged 25 and older hold a college degree. Reports also indicate that approximately a quarter of area residents lack health insurance. Overall, 20 percent of adults in the population do not have a primary care provider, a figure that roughly meets the TCNY target, suggesting that residents have relatively better access to healthcare, which corresponds to lower rates of emergency department visits (Ashpole et al., 2013).
Conclusion
The comprehensive community assessment demonstrates that the neighborhoods of Whitestone and Flushing meet the majority of the World Health Organization's Healthy Cities Initiative elements. The region has a high-quality physical environment and a stable, sustainable ecosystem. The community is also resilient, non-exploitative, and mutually supportive, meeting fundamental needs for food, water, shelter, and safe working conditions for its residents. The assessment further indicates that the population participates in health initiatives — as evidenced by declining risk factor statistics — and that a significant portion of the community has access to a wide range of healthcare services, effective communication channels, and positive institutional relationships. The local economy is diverse, innovative, and self-sustaining. The city is deeply connected to its history, and the existing infrastructure reinforces and supports those connections.
The community has a generally favorable health profile, and while conditions are not perfect, the population as a whole has access to appropriate public health and healthcare services. Continued improvement efforts — including greater participation in health initiatives, enhanced sanitation, increased income, community safety, and sustained access to healthcare — are all long-term priorities that must remain central to the community's health planning (Ashpole et al., 2013).
References
Ashpole, J., Castillo, G., Golbert, G., Levy, S., Terrin, N., Joseph, N., & Wilmott, K. (2013). Windshield survey zip code 11219 – Borough Park. Retrieved March 14, 2018, from http://www.saraelevy.yolasite.com/resources/N492%20Windshield%20Survey%20FINAL.pdf
Flushing Hospital Medical Centre (FHMC). (2012). Community service plan 2013–2017 prevention agenda.
Healthy People 2020. (n.d.). 2020 topics and objectives. Retrieved March 27, 2018, from
New York City Department of Health. (2002). New York City neighborhood health profiles: Brooklyn, 2000 (Rep.). Retrieved March 27, 2018, from
NYC Health. (2015). Community health profiles 2015: Flushing and Whitestone.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013, October 29). Older adult falls publications. Retrieved March 27, 2018, from
Rector, C. (2018). Community and public health nursing (9th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
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