| Course | NUR 440 Community and Public Health Nursing in the United States |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Community health resources report |
| Length | About 790 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | RN to BSN |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 440 Module 1
Where Would a Family Turn? A Health Resources Scavenger Hunt for ZIP Code 85031 in West Phoenix
Student Name
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
NUR 440: Community and Public Health Nursing in the United States
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Where Would a Family Turn? A Health Resources Scavenger Hunt for ZIP Code 85031 in West Phoenix
Community health nursing begins with knowing what a community has before deciding what it needs. For this scavenger hunt, I chose ZIP code 85031 in west Phoenix, an area many of my emergency department patients call home. This report describes the area briefly, then lists the resources a family with young children would most likely need, how each is reached, and what gaps or barriers I found. I located resources through public websites, phone calls and a drive through the area; no client information was collected.
The Community at a Glance
ZIP code 85031 is a largely residential area of single-story homes, apartment complexes and commercial corridors. According to the American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 five-year estimates, about 31,200 people live there, roughly 82% of whom identify as Hispanic or Latino, compared with about 42% across Phoenix (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025). Households there have a median income near $70,400, below the city's $81,300, and roughly one resident in six is poor by the federal measure. Nearly 8,700 residents are under 18, including about 2,200 children under five. Spanish is spoken in roughly 63% of households, and about one household in eight is a Spanish-speaking household in which no adult speaks English very well. These figures shaped which resources I looked for: services for young families, in Spanish, reachable without a car.
Resources Found
Public Health
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health is the local health department for the whole county. It provides immunization clinics, WIC services through its nutrition program, tuberculosis control and disease reporting, and it publishes community health data. For families in 85031, the health department is the main source of low-cost vaccines and of WIC enrollment.
Primary Care
Federally qualified health centers in the west Valley offer primary care on a sliding fee scale and accept Medicaid, which in Arizona is called the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. Valleywise Health, the county's public health system, operates community clinics and a hospital. These are the main options for uninsured families and those on Medicaid, and several clinics have Spanish-speaking staff.
Nutrition and Food
WIC serves pregnant and postpartum women and children under five who meet income and nutrition risk criteria, providing food benefits, nutrition education and breastfeeding support (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, n.d.). For emergency food, St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix distributes food through partner pantries, and several churches in the area run weekly pantries.
Behavioral Health and Crisis Support
Anyone facing a mental health or drug-related emergency can call or text 988, the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which routes Arizona callers to regional crisis services. Arizona's publicly funded behavioral health system is reached through AHCCCS health plans for enrolled families.
Water Safety
Because Phoenix has many residential pools, I looked for swim lessons and drowning prevention resources. The City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department runs public pools in summer and offers swim lessons at low cost, and community organizations offer water safety classes for parents. These programs are seasonal and fill quickly.
Transportation
Valley Metro bus routes run along the major streets of 85031, and Medicaid enrollees can request nonemergency medical transportation through their health plan. Families without a car rely on these options, which add time to every appointment.
Language Access
Most of the resources above offer services in Spanish, but availability varied. Websites were often translated, while phone menus and appointment lines sometimes were not. Federal rules require programs receiving federal funds to provide language assistance, and families may need to be told they can ask for an interpreter.
Gaps and Barriers
Three gaps stood out. First, seasonal swim lessons are limited compared with the number of young children in an area with many pools, and lessons for children under four were the hardest to find. Second, many resources assume a phone or internet connection and a working knowledge of how to navigate menus, which is harder for families with limited English. Third, travel time on public transit to some clinics can exceed an hour each way, which discourages preventive visits. These gaps suggest possible topics for the community health education project later in the course.
Reflection
Before this assignment I referred families to "social work" or "the health department" without knowing what either could offer. Now I can name specific resources, and I see that a referral is only useful if the family can reach the service in their language and on their schedule. Community health nursing, as our text describes it, focuses on populations and the systems that serve them (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020). This exercise showed me that the systems exist, but access is uneven.
References
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2020). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community (10th ed.). Elsevier.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2025). American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates: ZCTA5 85031 and Phoenix city, Arizona [Data set; tables B01003, B03003, B09001, B17001, B19013, C16002]. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://censusreporter.org/profiles/86000US85031-85031/
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. (n.d.). WIC eligibility requirements. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/wic-eligibility-requirements
NUR 440 Module 1 instructions, in plain terms
In the posted ASU syllabus for NUR 440, Module 1 covers community and population assessment and an overview of community health, and the practice experience work it assigns is the Health Resources Scavenger Hunt, which counts toward the course's practice experience hours. The assignment usually asks you to choose a community, locate health and social resources in categories set by the prompt, describe what each offers and how to access it, and reflect on gaps. The readings on public health foundations and on how to conduct a community assessment frame the task. Check Canvas for the required resource categories, the format, which may be a table, and whether you must verify contact information by phone or visit.
How this NUR 440 Module 1 example is built
The sample opens by stating the community chosen and how resources were found, then gives a short profile of ZIP code 85031 built from real census estimates, which explains why the search focused on young families, Spanish-language services and transit. Resources are grouped under eight subheadings, each describing who runs the service, what it offers and how a family reaches it. A section names three gaps and connects them to the course's later education project. A brief reflection, tied to the textbook, explains what the writer learned. No hours, logs or contact names are included. Each section reflects what a family would need to know to use the service the same week.
Where the marks sit in the NUR 440 Module 1 rubric
Instructors grading this assignment usually look for completeness across the required categories, accurate descriptions of each resource, attention to access issues such as cost, language and transportation, and a thoughtful reflection on gaps. Using community data to justify which resources matter scores better than a generic list. APA citations for data and readings are expected. Because the scavenger hunt is part of the practice experience, some instructors also check that it was completed on time and documented as required. Lists copied from a directory without analysis tend to earn only partial credit. Clear organization, such as subheadings or a table by category, makes the inventory easier to grade.
NUR 440 Module 1 help with common mistakes
A common error is listing resources for the whole state or county without checking whether residents of your chosen area can actually use them. Another is copying program descriptions from websites word for word; summarize instead. Check that phone numbers and eligibility details are current, because programs change. Include at least one barrier for each major category rather than presenting everything as accessible. Keep the community data sourced and dated. Do not record names of individual staff you spoke with. If you want help organizing a scavenger hunt for your own community, send the prompt and your list. Finally, note the date you checked each resource, since hours and programs change.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More NUR 440 and RN to BSN sample papers
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- NUR 440 Module 3: Community Health Education Project Part 1
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- NUR 440 Module 6: Education Project Elevator Speech
- NUR 440 Module 7: Education Project Peer and Course Reflection
- NUR 445 Module 2: Capstone Project Written Outline
- NUR 392 Module 4: Promoting Family Health Resource Report
- NUR 464 Module 5: Interprofessional Collaboration Discussion
- NUR 495 Module 4: Health Policy Paper on a Vulnerable Population
NUR 440 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 440 Module 1 sample paper?
The complete health resources scavenger hunt is on this page: a census profile of ZIP code 85031 in Phoenix, eight resource categories for families, gaps and barriers, a reflection and references.
What resources should I include in the NUR 440 scavenger hunt?
Follow the categories in your prompt. Common ones include public health, primary care, nutrition, food assistance, mental health, transportation, safety and language services.
How do I choose a community for NUR 440?
Pick an area you can learn about in person and through data, often where you live or work. A ZIP code or neighborhood keeps the scope manageable.
Where do I find community data for NUR 440?
The American Community Survey through data.census.gov or censusreporter.org gives population, income, language and age data by ZIP code, and county health department reports add local health data.
Do I include CPE hours in the NUR 440 scavenger hunt paper?
Log hours where Canvas tells you to. The written report describes the resources and your analysis, not a time log.