Environmental Conditions Related to Health

The community has a conducive environment to live; however, 3 miles to the east of the beach, there is an evidence of ground pollutant. The area has few plastic waste dumped beside the beach, and this could pollute the ground. On the good side, the construction of detention ponds has helped to filter pollutants from runoff water. The community adheres to the minimum housing standards thus providing houses with safe and adequate sanitary conditions (Pearson, 2016). Moreover, the homes in the community have good structural conditions because the owners maintain them regularly. I have noticed that all houses in the city of Virginia Beach have screened windows for security purposes.

The roads are in good condition with no potholes. The community has modified the drainage system and has helped to collect runoff and discharge them on the beach. Besides, between the 75th and 82nd Streets, the system collects drainage and discharges it to an outfall on the beach. From what I observed, there were no low water crossings in the area. The safety of people in the community is the priority of the city officials. There are adequate traffic lights at every junction. Since the community has a mixture of young and old people, there are adequate road signs and sidewalks. The roads have curbs, and they help to channel runoff water and motor vehicle traffic. In addition to the safety of the transport system in the community, the railroads’ crossings are fitted with warnings are barriers. I noticed that during the night, the streets and parking lots are well lit. It is a heavily trafficked area because the vicinity entails local stores, schools, private restaurants and healthcare facilities and bars. Usually, the traffic builds up in the evening when coming back from work. The presence of road debris such as broken glass, sharp objects makes the road hazardous.

In my observation, the buildings are accessible by handicapped because they have ramps, elevators, and accessible toilets. The sidewalks and streets are easily accessible by people with disabilities. The community has swimming pools, weight rooms, and fields and during the weekends and holidays, I observe families enjoying themselves. The YMCA around includes Hilltop Family YMCA and Princess Anne Family YMCA. The daycare facilities include Rainbow Preschool and Child Care and Tender Touch Day Care Learning. During the weekends and holidays, I noticed children hanging around and playing in the streets.

There are two restaurants, Buffet City and McCormick and Schmick’s Seafood and Steak, few miles from my house. As I was driving, I noticed people selling drinks and fast food on the streets. Also, you could see people eating in public places. The streets have trash receptacles and public benches for people to relax. The public restrooms are located near the gasoline station. Since food are sold on the streets, I noticed the presence of flies in the area. From my observation, I did not see stray animals in my neighborhood.

Social Functioning

The families in the neighborhoods are conjugal and extended families. With the conjugal family, one of the homes in my neighborhood has a single parent. The family structure comprises of the husband and the two children. The husband cares for the children. Similarly, the other home with nuclear family has the husband, wife, and a child. Both the husband and wife care for the child. Both families exhibit democratic supervision, and I noticed that it is only one generation present. Second, the rest of the neighborhoods are extended families. Their families consist of husband, wife, children, uncles, aunts and grandparents. The couples care for the children, but they get support from the uncles, aunts, and grandparents. The supervisions in these families are bureaucratic. Moreover, most of these families are more than one generation.

The subgroups I noticed in the area are Filipinos, Indians, and Indonesians. My neighbors are friendly, and you could notice from the way they help one another in a crisis. They volunteer services and fund charity. People from different backgrounds have developed strong and positive relationships in the neighborhood. People can respond to conflicts and racism between groups. The group efforts I observed in the neighborhood included planting of a community garden, campaigning to raise money to reconstruct the playing ground and offering donations to the poor. The community has a neighborhood watch, and you could see post signs at strategic locations on the road. I did not see post signs for neighborhood meetings.

From my observation, I noticed two churches: one was for the Catholics, and the other was for the Pentecostals. The community has one temple for the Hindus. I have not noticed people engaging in behaviors that would lead to social problems.

Attitude toward Health and Health Care

The community has one herbal medicine shop. In addition, I noticed there are acupuncturists and homeopathic practitioners. When I was sick, I went to a healthcare facility and the outstanding services I received showed that the healthcare resources are well utilized. The wellness care centers and programs I observed are yoga classes, gym rooms, and preventive health screening programs. In my community, I noticed the construction of modern health facilities, recruitment of new physicians and addition of medicine. I have seen advertisements for clinics, wellness and prevention solutions, benefits of food and dietary supplements and other health-related events.

Reference

Pearson, J. (2016). Virginia Beach. Our States: Virginia, 1.

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