Introduction
Sentinel City is a large modern city in virtual reality, providing ample opportunities for domestic travel and exploring the surrounding area and residents. Sentinel U, as the author of this virtual territory, offers nursing students an unusual, exciting, and authentic experience of working with people (Sentinel City, n.d). This paper is aimed at a holistic and comprehensive study of the immersive virtual simulation program Sentinel City from the point of view of the analysis of the community, the needs of citizens, the application of various strategies, and the demonstration of professional communication.
Needs-Assessment Summary
Demographics Assessment
Regarding needs assessment, demographics examination as a tool determined the characteristics of the Sentinel City population, considering citizens’ age, race, income, and several other equally important aspects. Thus, the research results confirmed the following demographic data. Currently, 663,862 people live in Sentinel City in total (Sentinel City, n.d). Small children, young, mature, and older people live in the city. Therefore, persons under five years make up 7.4% of the total population of Sentinel City, young people under 18 — 21.7%, people aged 65 and over — 10.5%, and, respectively, people over 18 but under 65 — 60.4% (Sentinel City, n.d). Based on the racial components of Sentinel City, it should be noted that 80.6% of Caucasians, 10.4% of African Americans, 2% of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 3.7% of Asians, 0.2% of Native Hawaiian, 3.1% of representatives of 2 or more races, and 31.5% Hispanic or Latino live in the area (Sentinel City, n.d). In addition, the median household income of Sentinel City is $49,091. Moreover, residents living below the poverty level in Sentinel City make up 18.9% of the region’s population.
Furthermore, according to Sentinel City’s neighborhoods, it is known that 103,974 people live in Nightingale Square, 168,390 live in Acer Tech Center, 352,643 live in Casper Park District, and 38,855 live in Industrial Heights, respectively. It should also be added that in Nightingale Square, the median household income is $269,550, in Acer Tech Center — $166,300, in Casper Park District — $80,134, and, indeed, in Industrial Heights — $24,672. The percentage of non-insured residents in Nightingale Square is 0.7%, in Acer Tech Center — 1.5%, in Casper Park District — 22.7%, and finally, in Industrial Heights — 37.5%.
Neighborhood/Community Safety Inventory
Neighborhood/community safety inventory is an instrument used by the student to assess environmental, physical, psychosocial, and other types of security threats in Sentinel City. Thus, safety hazards in Sentinel City include environmental pollution with garbage, dust, dirt, and the release of harmful substances into the atmospheric air, unsafe representatives of fauna (animals, insects, and rodents) walking around the city, as well as emergency conditions of buildings with cracks and sinkholes. Moreover, based on the data obtained, it is essential to emphasize that in Sentinel City, 82% of the population uses harmful substances, which is a disappointing picture of the situation. For instance, the most common trend is alcohol consumption by 26% and tobacco smoking by 24%, as well as 12% of people, use marijuana, 7% — heroin, 5% — cocaine, 5% — CNS depressants, 2% — club drugs, and 1% — methamphetamine (Sentinel City, n.d). In addition, the approximate EMS response time in Sentinel City to emergencies is about 7-8 minutes.
Furthermore, in the area, the most common types of crimes are beatings, violence, assaults, and robberies. Additionally, 23% of all cases are arrests on warrants, 17% are beatings and humiliations, 16% of arrests are made for the use of prohibited means in the city, 9% of arrests are for trespassing, 6% are reckless behavior and 6% is public intoxication (Sentinel City, n.d). In particular, gang violence, attacks on people, and murders by “crews” are common in Sentinel City; these phenomena play one of the most significant roles at the crime level in the region.
Windshield Survey
The windshield survey is a strategy that the author of the paper actively used to conduct informal research and observation of Sentinel City. According to the student, Sentinel City is a densely populated and modern city with well-furnished areas and innovative technologies. There are well-developed infrastructure and transport links, a church and a free dining room, and many places for pastimes and entertainment such as cafes, tennis courts, or playgrounds. However, the city is in particular need of gentrification of some areas by constructing new buildings and repairing abandoned structures, cleaning the territory of garbage and removing graffiti on the walls, planting more vegetation, and increasing places for recreation. Apparently, Sentinel City suffers from a shortage of sufficient vegetation in residential, public areas of the region and even in parks.
Population Health Scavenger Hunt
A population health scavenger hunt is a unique method implemented in this paper to evaluate some city services and compare the facts obtained. Thus, parks and recreation in Sentinel City are equipped to allow citizens to offer special programs for children and adults in swimming, sports, fitness, gardening, and much more. Consequently, healthcare system-elderly services are based on providing privileges for native older persons, offering transport, necessities, or housing. In contrast, city hall-social services offer public protection benefits, including legal and medical help, adoption assistance, and more. Moreover, Sentinel City’s Better Health Clinic gives people the opportunity to receive preventive care, a women’s examination, or contraceptives. Hence, soup kitchen offers food for socially vulnerable groups of the population and veterans, and affordable housing project provides profitable housing for low-income families.
Data Analysis
Primarily, using the concepts of epidemiology and determinants of health, it should be remarked that in Sentinel City, one can observe the situation of environmental racism and discrimination. As practice shows, in this city, race and income level determine the residents’ quality of life in a particular territory. For example, according to the author, Industrial Heights is one of the poorest and less gentrified areas of Sentinel City. By the way, it is there that one can meet more homeless people, African Americans and Latinos, and those who do not have health insurance. In addition, residents of Sentinel City often have vector-borne diseases due to steady urbanization; they breathe polluted air and risk becoming victims of traffic accidents. Undoubtedly, urbanization improves the economic and innovative state of the city. Still, at the same time, it can entail various negative consequences for society and the health of individuals, which have a more substantial impact on the poorest and most vulnerable categories of the population (Urban health, 2021). Hence, the city’s leaders should focus on eliminating environmental and socio-economic problems in order to avoid additional risks associated with the health of citizens and minimize the crime rate.
Top Three Problems
Before starting to identify problems in Sentinel City, it is necessary to remember the following Healthy people 2020 goals. This project focuses on realizing a high-quality, long life for citizens, justice concerning health, a competent social and physical environment, and improving the quality of life (Healthy people, 2020). Consequently, based on these goals, it should be noted that there are three main problems in Sentinel City: inequality in the provision of good medical services, poor ecology, and a high proportion of people who use harmful substances. In this case, City Hall and the available resources in the field of financial or psychological support can help to eliminate the problem of inequality. Therefore, Sentinel City leaders are advised to pay special attention to the gentrification of “poor” areas, creating more jobs and improving support in providing housing and basic necessities. In general, the socially unprotected group of the population is already being helped by the church with food and City Hall with accommodation; however, additional efforts are required in the field of landscaping, landscaping, and reconstruction. Hence, “Environmental Quality and Physical Environment” is a primary prevention topic chosen by the student.
Discussion of Community Resources
Therefore, based on the knowledge gained from the modeling environment, the author will be able to apply evaluation strategies when analyzing another specific community confidently. These techniques will help determine the principal vulnerabilities and risks for citizens at the micro, meso, and macro levels. Moreover, specifying this information will permit the student to make crucial decisions and plans to eliminate the identified problems in society.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is necessary to state that the set goals and objectives were successfully fulfilled, and the paper’s author managed to analyze the virtual region as Sentinel City. According to the student, it is a large, densely populated, and urbanized city. Still, at the same time, it suffers from a lack of sufficient vegetation, a high proportion of poverty, inequality, crime, and people who use harmful substances. In general, in order to reduce and eliminate these concerns, it is recommended to refer to the Healthy people 2020 plan, as well as city leaders must focus on improving environmental and social components.
References
Healthy people 2020. (n.d.). CDC. Web.
Sentinel City® v.5 community and population health virtual simulation. (n.d.). Sentinel U®. Web.
Urban health. (2021). WHO. Web.