Jordan Grove, Chatham County : a community diagnosis including secondary data analysis and qualitative data collection
Creators: name: Knight, Heather
name: Lissy, Karen S.
name: Smith, Cindy
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 1998

description: A Community Diagnosis of Jordan Grove was conducted by a team of graduate students from the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education (HBHE) in the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Community Diagnosis is the process of evaluating the health and quality of life of a community both by reviewing previously gathered data and by talking with residents and service providers who have first hand knowledge of that community. This process occurs over the course of seven months and is a requirement for Masters students in the HBHE department. The first semester of the Jordan Grove community diagnosis focused on collecting and summarizing previously existing or secondary data. Sources of this information included, but were not limited to, census data, county health data, and previously existing health documents created for Chatham County. These sources helped the research team to gain a broad understanding of Jordan Grove by defining location, history, economic and health status, as well as other sociodemographic characteristics of the community. While compiling this information we encountered some limitations. The secondary data that we were able to access was primarily county level data. Because Jordan Grove is a small geographic region of Chatham County, this county level information does not accurately reflect the Jordan Grove community. Additionally, much of the data was outdated. Census data, for example, was last collected eight years ago in 1990. The secondary data section, therefore, is comprehensive but should not be assumed to provide specific information about the community of Jordan Grove. The second method of community diagnosis data collection was qualitative: interviews were conducted with residents and service providers in the Jordan Grove community. This primary data collection was essential to our understanding of Jordan Grove, particularly given the limitations of our secondary data. Separate interview guides were developed for residents and service providers. In total, twenty three residents and fifteen service providers were interviewed. Additionally, seven residents participated in a focus group. Christine Brooks, a community resident, voluntarily took on the role of our “community preceptor”, and played a critical role in introducing us to the community. Among other things, Mrs. Brooks invited us to attend service at the Jordan Grove A.M.E. Zion church, the church attended by a majority of Jordan Grove residents. Church attendance provided us the opportunity to become familiar with community residents and, perhaps more importantly, for the community to become familiar with us. Jordan Grove is a small (approximately two square miles), rural, predominantly African American community located west of Siler City in Chatham County. The residents of this community are primarily descendants of the five families who originally resided in the area. The sense of family created by these longstanding relationships has created an element of community strength and competence that is reflected in this document. Governmental responsibility for Jordan Grove is shared between Siler City and the whole of Chatham County. Jordan Grove falls under the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction of Siler City. Siler City's management responsibilities in Jordan Grove are limited to Planning and Zoning issues. All other land and political matters in Jordan Grove are the direct responsibility of Chatham County. The homes in Jordan Grove are linked to Siler City water and sewer lines. The Jordan Grove community is also covered by the Siler City Fire Department. Residents and service providers described Jordan Grove as a community with many assets. Included in these assets were the Jordan Grove residents themselves. Residents described their neighbors as helpful, friendly, and dependable. Many referred to the area as a close-knit, safe community and indicated that they would not want to live anywhere but Jordan Grove. Other assets we were told about included the local churches, Joint Orange Chatham Community Action (JOCCA), and Us In Action (UIA). UIA is a group of residents credited with proactive efforts to improve the community. Achievements of this group include the extension of county water lines, renovation of a community church, and successful diversion of both a trailer park and airport that were proposed to be built in Jordan Grove. Residents and service providers also expressed areas in which Jordan Grove could be improved. Suggested areas for improvement included housing conditions, safety, recreation, transportation, cost of medications, home health care, water and sewer, and trash collection. A community meeting was held in February 1998 to present these findings to the residents and service providers of Jordan Grove. The purpose of the meeting was to share with everyone the information that the community diagnosis team had collected and summarized. This was also an opportunity for stakeholders in the community to listen and discuss with others issues and future directions for the Jordan Grove community. The priority areas identified for future action at the meeting were home health care and the cost of medications.