Community+Needs

=Community Needs=

1. Primary Care Physicians: The national average of patient to doctor ratio is 631:1, for Tennesse it is 837:1, but for Hawkins County, TN the patient to doctor ratio is 2128:1.

2. Obesity: The national average of those who are obese is 25%, for Tennesse it is 31%, but for Hawkins County, Tn 33% of the community are obese.

3. Smoking: The national average of those who smoke is 15%, for Tennesee it is 24%, but for Hawkins County, Tn 24% of the community smoke.

As a nurse I am not sure what I could do to persuade other physicians to come to this area, but home based care could help with the individuals whose needs are not being met. I do feel that if the patient to doctor ratio were lower then more people would be receiving the proper education regarding obesity and smoking and the percentages would be smaller. Educating children through the school systems could be one way to decrease the percantage rate of obesity and smoking as well.