VWT Task 1 1014 
Kimberly Patamia
VWT Task 1 (1014)
Student ID: 000376789 kpatami@my.wgu.edu I have been working as a registered nurse in Tacoma, WA since 2011 and I have chosen to assess the community health of Pierce County. Tacoma is the county seat of Pierce County and the largest city in the county and third largest city in the state (US Census Bureau, 2014). Pierce County is located south of Seattle and is comprised of 1,679 sq. miles, many of which front the Puget Sound. Northern areas of the county are comprised of islands and peninsulas only accessible by bridges or boats. It also contains one of the nation’s national parks and the state’s tallest peak, Mount Rainier. The Park’s boundaries largely define the eastern border of the County and the White and Nisqually Rivers make up the North and South boundaries respectively. (Snob Hollow Designs, 2014)
Population Economic Status Assessment Nearly 820,000 people call Pierce County home. It boasts a high population density with 481 people per sq. mile. Urban areas comprise 93 percent of the county. (City-Data, 2014) The median household income in 2013 was estimated to be close to $60,000 and 12 percent of residents are living below the poverty level. (US Census Bureau, 2014) Blacks and African Americans make up the majority of low-income people despite the fact that they comprise only 7 percent of the County population. The majority of residents (76.5 percent) are white, 10 percent are non-black Hispanics and 6 percent are Asians. The median resident age is 35 years and 12 percent of residents are 65 years or older. (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2014).
More than a third of Pierce County children are eligible for free lunch benefits and 8.9 percent of residents are unemployed. As many as 16 percent of residents are uninsured despite a per capita personal health expenditure of $8,160 annually. Ten percent of those uninsured are children. What’s more, close to 6 percent of residents make less that
VWT Task 1 (1014)
Student ID: 000376789 kpatami@my.wgu.edu I have been working as a registered nurse in Tacoma, WA since 2011 and I have chosen to assess the community health of Pierce County. Tacoma is the county seat of Pierce County and the largest city in the county and third largest city in the state (US Census Bureau, 2014). Pierce County is located south of Seattle and is comprised of 1,679 sq. miles, many of which front the Puget Sound. Northern areas of the county are comprised of islands and peninsulas only accessible by bridges or boats. It also contains one of the nation’s national parks and the state’s tallest peak, Mount Rainier. The Park’s boundaries largely define the eastern border of the County and the White and Nisqually Rivers make up the North and South boundaries respectively. (Snob Hollow Designs, 2014)
Population Economic Status Assessment Nearly 820,000 people call Pierce County home. It boasts a high population density with 481 people per sq. mile. Urban areas comprise 93 percent of the county. (City-Data, 2014) The median household income in 2013 was estimated to be close to $60,000 and 12 percent of residents are living below the poverty level. (US Census Bureau, 2014) Blacks and African Americans make up the majority of low-income people despite the fact that they comprise only 7 percent of the County population. The majority of residents (76.5 percent) are white, 10 percent are non-black Hispanics and 6 percent are Asians. The median resident age is 35 years and 12 percent of residents are 65 years or older. (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2014).
More than a third of Pierce County children are eligible for free lunch benefits and 8.9 percent of residents are unemployed. As many as 16 percent of residents are uninsured despite a per capita personal health expenditure of $8,160 annually. Ten percent of those uninsured are children. What’s more, close to 6 percent of residents make less that
Bibliography: AHRQ. (2009). Breastfeeding, Maternal & Infant Health Outcomes. Retrieved January 22, 2015, from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: http://archive.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/brfouttp.htm City-Data DiGirolamo, A., Grummer-Strawn, L., & Fein, S. (2008). Effect of Maternity-Care Practices on Breastfeeding. Pediatrics , S43-S49. Family Renewal Shelter. (2014). About the family renewal shelter. Retrieved January 21, 2015, from Family Renewal Shelter: www.domesticviolencehelp.org/aboutfrs.html Good Guide Grummer-Strawn, L., Scanlon, K., Darling, N., & Conrey, E. (2004). Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breastfeeding . Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy People 2020. (2015). Access to Health Services. Retrieved January 22, 2015, from Healthy People.gov: http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/Access-to-Health-Services Healthy People 2020 Healthy People 2020. (2015). Mental Health and Mental Disorders. Retrieved January 2015, 2015, from HealthyPeople.gov: http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/mental-health-and-mental-disorders Healthy People 2020 Patamia, K. (2015, January 16). Windshield Survey of Pierce County. (K. Patamia, Interviewer) Pierce County Department of Emergency Management PPGNW. (2015). Who We Are. Retrieved January 21, 2015, from Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-great-northwest/who-we-are Simpson Snob Hollow Designs. (2014). County Maps of Washington. Retrieved January 17, 2014, from County Maps of Washington: http://www.countymapsofwashington.com/pierce.shtml Tacoma Pierce County Health Department