Windshield survey
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Introduction
The community I have chosen to consider in my survey is Kiryas Joel, a village in Monroe, New York where I reside. Majority of the residents in this town are Hasidic Jews, who are strictly bound to the Torah commandments. Yiddish is the language that most of the people in this village speak. The people in this area usually have large families, which makes its economy poor as compared to other communities in the US (Citydata.com, 2013). The village was reported to have the highest poverty rate in the United States, in a survey conducted in 2008. More than 30% of the residents survive below the federal poverty line, with 40% receiving relief food (Citydata.com, 2013). The village has experienced growth in its population in the last few years. The population was at 7, 400 people in 1990, which had increased to 13, 100 in 2000. In 2005, the population of this village had gone up to 18, 300 (Citydata.com, 2013).
Community vitality
` The community encompasses black, white, and Indian residents. The estimated number of the various groups interacting in this village is: majority white, and other minority groups, including blacks, Asians, and Latino (Citydata.com, 2013). The number of individuals who have attained higher education to Bachelor’s degree level is approximated to 6.9%, which is comparatively lower than that of New York City; 32.8% (Citydata.com, 2013). The people in this community portray a lot of diversity, with majority being middle-class and the low class. These are the people I found using public transport to the health centers. Moreover, a minority group drives private cars. Within the small village is a group of poor individuals, most of them being young men, who appear to be under influence of alcohol and drugs.

Indicators of social and economic conditions
The village is characterized by high poverty, with more than 60% of the residents living below the poverty line (Citydata.com, 2013). The median household income is lower, with most of the families being large beyond their sustenance capability. The town also has few firms, with the total number being 785 as compared to more than 1.9 million firms in New York City (Roberts, 2011). However, the town may be more developed in the near future. This can be noted from the increased use of use public transportation to and from public facilities such as hospitals. The bus system and railway network within the town enables residents to transport goods and services more efficiently. The village also comprises of public housing where some casual workers in the village reside. Among the people occupying these houses, majority are from neighboring villages. Nonetheless, the condition of this houses is poor, with sanitation and drainage system being the most affected.
Health resources
The high population and poverty levels in the town is an indicator of poor health system. With most of the residents living below the poverty line, access to good health care is limited. Similarly, the low living standards in this area leads to many of the residents not being able to take care of their health, with some aspects of good health such as safe food, water, as well as proper sanitation not being observed. The health facilities in the region comprise of both governmental and private hospitalsand dispensaries (Roberts, 2011). Since the private hospitals are more expensive than public hospitals, most of the people in this town seek for services from the governmental hospitals and dispensaries. This is the reason behind the shortage of facilities in these hospitals. The drugs and services available at the hospitals are not enough for the patients that visit the facility (Roberts, 2011). Moreover, most of the people seeking health facilities are women, with maternal health being the busiest department in all the hospitals that I visited in this region.
Environmental conditions related to health
The most critical aspect of environmental health in Kiryas Joel is the pollution effects of chloride salts dumped into the Ramapo River (Roberts, 2011). This has led to widespread pollution of underground water. According to area residents, the polluted water has significantly contributed to increased health problems in the town. The poultry processing plant in Kiryas Joel is the major source of these salts (Roberts, 2011).
Moreover, some parts of this town have been characterized by poor sanitation and sewerage system. Resources are not evenly distributed, leading to some regions having enough water while others have no adequate water. Among the regions with enough water, the water is sometimes polluted, thus raising environmental health concerns.
Social functioning
The community of Kiryas Joel is very religious. The people in this community appear uniform, with characteristics of bearded men wearing dark suits and hats (Roberts, 2011). Similarly, women wear long-sleeves and skirts. The community is also characterized by traditional orthodoxy, endogamy, and Torah education (Roberts, 2011). Noted also in this survey is the strong integration with social norms. Visitors in this town are greeted with respect and asked to dress decently, use proper language and observe gender separation. This norm is respected in all public areas and facilities, including hospitals in the village.

Attitude toward healthcare
As was previously mentioned, the town is characterized by high poverty levels. For this reason, majority of the residents prefer cheap services, including health care. Maternal health is particularly low in this village, with many women believing that they can conceive at their homes instead of paying for the service in hospitals. This is one of the factors that has led to high infant mortality in the region. The use of family planning is also limited in this village, which contributes to large poor families. Similarly, I also learned from the people around that private hospitals are believed to be exploitative, although their services are praised for quality. Individuals in this community also believe that the high number of infections in the region may only be decreased through the enhancement of good environmental health.

Conclusion
Economic status of a community is very influential as far as public health is concerned. In Kiryas Joel, most people prefer cheap health services, which leads to overpopulation of public health facilities, which has caused shortage of drugs and services to the patient. Of worth to note is the aspect of maternal health in the region, with some women even preferring to conceive at their homes in order to forego costs associated with health care services.

References
Citydata.com, (2013). Kiryas Joel, New York. Retrieved on January 18, 2014 from: http://www.city-data.com/city/Kiryas-Joel-New-York.html
Census.gov, (2012). Kiryas Joel (Village), New York. Retrieved on January 18, 2014 from: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/3639853.html
Roberts, S., (2011). A Village with the numbers, not the image, of the poorest place. Retrieved on January 18, 2014 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/nyregion/kiryas-joel-a-village-with-the-numbers-not-the-image-of-the-poorest-place.html?pagewanted=all