Community Assessment of Worcester and Springfield

Worcester and Springfield are both well-known Massachusetts cities each known for its innovative cityscapes and diverse communities. However, these towns reportedly reside in two of the unhealthiest Massachusetts Counties.1,2 Conducting comprehensive reviews of both cities would allow public health professionals to determine which factors are associated with these poor health outcomes.

With respect to the greater Worcester area, I would like to examine several key demographics including poverty levels, low education, and unemployment rates.3 According to the 2015 Greater Worcester Community Health Assessment, these three social health determinants reported the strongest interaction in the Worcester area. Additionally, these factors are likely to be influenced by the community culture as well as shape societal values. Since the town of Worcester has significantly higher morbidity rates (i.e. cancer, influenza, sexually transmitted infections) compared to the Central Massachusetts Regional Public Health Alliance, it is worth exploring how the interaction of these social health determinants is altering the overall quality of life throughout the community.3

Since social health determinants similarly affect the health and well-being of the Springfield community, I would like to further examine the correlation between these key components. In August 2018, the MGM Springfield casino complex opened up in Hampden County. Accordingly, proximity to casinos is strongly linked to a number of unfavorable health outcomes. These health concerns include gambling addiction, loss of work productivity, substance abuse, and domestic violence.4,5 Community members that live below the poverty line, in addition to being in close proximity to these casinos are at heightened risk of developing adverse health problems.4,5 Ultimately, it would be interesting to compare the health profiles of Springfield before and after MGM Springfield opened, in order to identify how the casino is impacting the community.

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When deciding which community to choose for an assessment project is it important to begin by reviewing each setting. Conducting a review will allow individuals to gain a better understanding of each community’s specific demographics, issues, and town history.6 Accordingly, before selecting a particular community to examine, the community assessment and development experts should set aside some time to create a community description. The community description encompasses a wide range of topics that will help experts to better comprehend the community in a number of ways.6 These areas include physical aspects, infrastructure, social structure, and politics.

After devising a list of key themes that will be included in the community description, the next step is to determine how the data will be collected. Information can be gathered either from public records (i.e. newspaper archives, government documents) or from community members (i.e. interviews, surveys, observation). It is imperative that the community assessment experts research the community before conducting interviews or distributing surveys to local citizens.6 This approach will give these experts a solid overview of the community. Accordingly, this foundational research can be used as a baseline to compare additional findings. When collecting information from community members, it is important to gather feedback from laypeople as well as from elected officials.6 This tactic will allow individuals to acquire credible data and eliminate potential bias.

Next, community assessment experts should process and classify the data, in an organized manner that can be used to assess how various components fit together.6 The information can be arranged by category, into a timeline, or in a manner that showcases key interactions. In addition, the data display may use photographs, quotations, or video clips to support key claims. Lastly, once the data is compiled and analyzed, the community assessment experts should consult with laypeople and government officials regarding the findings.6 This would allow the community assessment team to gain feedback on their assessment and to incorporate those suggestions so that the community will be able to successfully implement initiatives in the future.6

When making my final decision regarding which community I will assess, I will consider two key factors: access to community data and the ability to understand that community.6 Springfield’s new casino complex, introduces a number of potential community health concerns. However, since the casino opened merely five short months ago, it is unlikely that there will be enough concrete data to assess the before and after profiles of the community. In addition, I am unfamiliar with this town’s social norms and this could impact the accuracy of my research. On the other hand, Worcester has a wide range of community assessment and behavioral risk surveillance studies that can be used to better understand the community. Since I already have a solid perception of societal values and behavioral tendencies, I will be able rationally and accurately assess the community information. Accordingly, selecting Worcester for my community assessment is the more reasonable choice.