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Drinking
Water Windshield Survey
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A HEALTHIER CAMANO ISLAND Camano Island lies between Whidbey Island and the mainland. It ranges from less than a mile to over 7 miles wide and almost 18 miles in length. It is approximately 2 miles west of Stanwood, where schools and a business district are located. Camano Island is linked to the mainland via a bridge. There are no major industrial firms located on Camano Island. Major employers are Camano Plaza Market and Camano Molds. The Camano Island Community Mobilization Project was designed to answer the question: Can a community (its residents, its associations and institutions), with the assistance of a core health department team, improve its health status by using its strengths and assets to identify, prioritize and address health concerns? The core health department team consists of the following:
The core team provides guidance and support to the project such as identifying and gathering resources, preparing meeting agendas, facilitating meetings, maintaining communications between members of the group and the community, developing materials such as slide presentations, newsletters, surveys, reports and other graphics. The core team adopted a model for community mobilization that was adapted from a model used by the State of Missouri called Community Health Assessment Resource Teams. The model is called: The Community Health Process This process consists of five steps to achieving improved health status: STEP 1: Developing A Community Coalition The core team identified the following community members who agreed to volunteer 2 hours a month to be a part of the Camano Health Advisory Team (CHAT):
This group represents a cross section of residents on the island. A community systems model was used to identify members for this team. The CHAT is the working community group who conducts the activities of the project, such as community assessments, community presentations and the prioritization of health issues. A Sponsor Group was also identified by the Core Team. This group consists of community members with name recognition, connections in the community, and influence. The purpose of this group is to provide general feedback on the project, advocate for the project and assist in identification of local resources. Sponsors include:
In summary, the community coalition developed for this project includes a Core Team, a Community Health Advisory Team and a Sponsor Group — 23 Camano Island residents. STEP 2: CREATING A VISION OF A HEALTHY COMMUNITY In November 1996, the community coalition met at Utsalady Ladies Aid Hall to develop a vision of a healthy Camano Island in the year 2020. They discussed their future and what they would like their community to become. Seven themes emerged:
These themes will be the foundation of the community health process. Current health status will be measured against these themes for the future and health priorities will be established. These seven themes will provide the framework for the community health plan. STEP 3: CONDUCTING A COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT The community health assessment conducted during the winter of 1996-1997 consisted of the following components:
Census Data Seven items from the 1990 census were studied by the CHAT: where did 1990 residents live in 1985, non-white race and ethnicity, household income, percent of population below the federal poverty level, unemployment status, education level, and minutes traveled to place of work. 1– Population by Age and Gender: 1997 Estimates Based on 1990 Census 2– Where Did 1990 Residents Live in 1985?
Compared to Island county as a whole, Camano Island residents are less mobile and experience less migration from outside the state. The chart depicts 52% of Camano residents lived in the same house in 1990 as they did in 1985, compared to 38% for Island County residents as a whole. Of those who moved into Island County, a much smaller percentage moved to Camano Island from outside the state(11%) compared to the Island as a whole (33%). Camano experienced more migration from within Washington State (29%) than Island County as a whole (13%). These figures may reflect population movement around the Oak Harbor Naval Air Station. 3 – Non-White Race and Ethnicity Camano Island and Island County – 1990 Census
The Camano Island population is 3% non-white, equally divided among Asians, American Indians, and Blacks. There were no individuals of Hispanic origin on Camano Island as reported in 1990. This is significantly less than the general Island County non-white population of almost 11%. 4 – Household Income By Categories Camano Island, Island County and Washington State – 1990 Census
Camano Island has a lower percentage of residents with incomes less than $10,000 than Island County or Washington State and a slightly lower percentage of residents with incomes greater than $50,000 than Washington State. Close to 70% of Camano residents have incomes between $10,000 and 50,000. 5 – Percent of Population Below the Federal Poverty Level Camano Island, Island County and Washington State – 1990 Census
Camano Island has a significantly smaller percent of residents living below the poverty level in all categories than Island County as a whole or Washington State. 6 – Unemployment Status Camano Island, Island County and Washington State – 1990 Census
Unemployment status is very low on Camano Island, especially among single mothers of children under 6 years of age where it is non-existent. 7 – Education Level Camano Island residents education profile looks much like that of Island County as a whole and of Washington State. 8 – Minutes Traveled to Place of Work Among employed Camano island residents, 50% travel 30 or more minutes to work, equating to 1-2 hours or more away from home in addition to time at work. Drinking Water All of Camano Island residents are dependent upon ground water for their source of drinking water. The majority of the population is served by 157 public water systems. The remainder obtain their water from individual wells. Salt water intrusion is the a key factor impacting ground water on Camano Island. Saltwater intrusion has affected numerous wells throughout the island, primarily in the northeast part of Camano Island and the southern "panhandle". Health Data Health data for Camano Island is included in Island County data in the main body of the Regional Health Status Report. No sub-county data was available. Behavioral Risk Factor Survey A random sample telephone survey was conducted in July and August of 1996. Eight hundred adults in Island County were called and asked to participate in a 20 minute telephone interview about their health and their health concerns. A minimum of 100 adults responded in each of the four geographic areas. This section will highlight the responses of Camano residents that differed from Island County responses.
Windshield Survey In March 1997, twenty four community volunteers conducted a "windshield survey" of Camano Island. A windshield survey is conducted by driving through an area reporting systematic observations of what is actually seen through the windshield of the car. The Island was divided into 8 geographic areas, each team of three members had a map and two observation records (appendix X). Each team systematically drove all the roads in its region. The observations were organized according to the seven themes from the vision for a healthy community . Significant findings from the survey include:
STEP 4: PRIORITIZING COMMUNITY HEALTH ISSUES The Camano Community Health Advisory Team is presenting the results of the health assessment to community groups in a slide show. The results have also been published in a fire district newsletter. Residents have been asked to complete a survey indicating which of the seven themes is most important for Camano Islanders to begin to address. The CHAT anticipates obtaining 500 responses by the end of October. Results of the survey will be used by CHAT in developing community health priorities in the last quarter of 1997. STEP 5: DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A COMMUNITY HEALTH PLAN The community health plan is being developed based on the priorities identified by CHAT and the community. Special interest groups are meeting to identify existing resources in the community. Gaps between what has been identified in 1997 and the vision for the year 2020 are being identified. The community health plan will address those gaps. |
