MASON COUNTY, MICHIGAN

(A Community Assessment)

Mason County, Michigan is approximately 2000 square miles

and is made up of a large part of rural property (U.S. Census
Bureau). The east borders of this community are defined by
beautiful Lake Michigan. There are two main cities and three
villages that make up Mason County. In addition, business US
31 defines tha majority of the community, beginning at Lake
Michigan and ending at the base of Scottville city limits.

Presented by: Jennifer R. Williams

The Cities of Mason County
Ludington & Scottville
Ludington Waters

Ludington is the largest portion

of the community, defining the
eastern segment of the county.
This part of the county also carries
the largest portion of business and
Housing for the community.

Scottville makes up the second largest

part of the county, sitting
between Ludington and Custer.
 The Villages of Mason County
Custer, Fountain, & Freesoil

Fountain and Freesoil are the smallest

Communities within the area, although
together they complete the southern
Custer makes up the west portion of Mason County.
Side of Mason County
and is the Largest of the
three villages.
Freesoil Tourist
Attraction
 Methodology
Ø Epidemiologic framework utilized
for assessment of community
Ø This framework “focuses on the
health of the population. (Maurer-
(Maurer-
Smith, 2008).
Ø Framework will further focus on
vulnerable populations and Assessment of Community Identify the Problem
difficulties with creation and
maintenance of resources.
Ø Reasoning to include: faulty
economy and decreased work
availability,

Initiate a Solution
Cultural Factors and
Ethnic Mix
Ø population 28,782
Ø primarily a Caucasian with
many small minority groups
Ø 95.84% White
Ø 0.73% Black or African
American
Ø 0.78% Native American
Ø 0.28% Asian Ø 1.53% from two or more races
Ø 0.02% Pacific Islander Ø 3.01% of the populations were
Ø 0.82% from other races Hispanic or Latino of any race
Ø 24.5% were of German
Ø 10.4% Polish, 8.8% English
Ø 8.5% Irish
Ø 7.7% American
Ø 5.0% Swedish
Ø 96.0% spoke English and 2.2%
Spanish as their first language

(U.S. Bureau, 2000)

 Government and Community Growth
The mission of Mason County government is to assist in supporting
the quality of life by providing a range of services relating to the safety,
health, social and economic well being of county residents.
(masoncounty.net) Mason County has grown enormously over the last
ten years, however with recent economic issues and increasing
unemployment rate, the growth has temporarily halted. Many new
businesses have recently closed and some continue to struggle.

Mason County
Courthouse
 Healthcare
Healthcare dominates this area with the local hospital being the
largest employer, as well as the largest healthcare provider.

Healthcare Resources
Ø local hospital approximately a 100 bed
facility
Ø two nursing home and rehab centers in
the area
ü one 75 bed government
funded medical care
ü one 126 bed privately owned long-
long-term
care
Ø local health department that provides Mason County, Local Hospital
community centered care
Ø community mental health center
Ø urgent care center that is small,
although serves its
Ø purpose
Ø multiple home care services
Ø multiple family, obstetric, internist,
psychiatric, dental, and chiropractic
practices
 Education, Transportation, and Housing
School Districts in
Mason County
Ø Ludington, Ludington High School
Ø Scottville, Mason County Central
Ø Custer, Mason County Eastern
Ø Freesoil, Freesoil Community
(Elementary only)
Ø The Schools get progressively
larger as you travel west into the
county, Custer being the smallest of
the three. It is expected that the
smallest of the schools will eventually
be forced to combine with one of the
two larger schools due to lack of
funding and attendees.
(epodunk.com)
Public Transportation
Ø Dial
Dial--a-Ride, Ludington Mass
Transit (serves Ludington &
Scottville)
Ø multiple Cab Companies within
City Limits
Housing
Ø multiple apartment complexes
in the Ludington
Ø two apartment complexes in
Scottville
Ø No complexes in Custer
Ø Custer and Scottville are
primarily defined by privately
owned homes.
Ø Ludington has multiple housing
complexes as well as multiple
condominiums.
A geopolitical description was utilized to define
this community. A geopolitical community “is a
spatial designation—
designation—a geographic or geopolitical
area or place; these areas are formed by either
natural or human-
human-made boundaries” (Maurer
(Maurer--
Smith, 2008).
Health Trends and Social Issues
ØHigh incidence of Heart Disease
ØEmployment rate almost 1 ½ times the national
average: currently @ 14.5%
ØHigh incidence of homelessness with lack of
appropriate resources
Nursing Plan for Primary
Community Health Issue:
Homelessness
Problem: High ratio of homelessness to
current population and lack of appropriate
resources.

Solutions and Interventions

ü Create a homeless center which is currently unavailable in
the area.
ü Educate Emergency Room on current resources available
along with new plan for homeless shelter.
ü Education program for homeless including: illness
prevention, resources, available medical care.
ü Create a “homeless bank” at local hospital to provide
necessities to homeless that refuse resources and services.
Summary

Mason County Michigan is a small rural community that has many of

the same issues of a larger community. Even though Mason County is
vast with medical resources, it continues to struggle with community
health issues. Vulnerable populations were identified as individuals with
cardiac disease, the unemployed, and the homeless. Each of these issues
continues to be identified as difficult situation within the health care
community of this small town. However homelessness remains prominent
related to the small area ratio. With the appropriate interventions and
implementation of new programs, there should be improvement in the
overall health of the community. Making sure that the vulnerable
populations within a community are appropriately dealt with will create
an over all healthier community. Community assessment will continue to
be an important tool in the process of improving the health of
community populations.
 Population Benefits
The benefits of introducing a homeless center to this
area will be astronomical. Currently, we are sending our
homeless to out of town shelters. If they are unwilling,
these individuals often end up returning to the street with
no food or shelter. The additional education to the
community as well as the homeless will provide valued
information to those who need and utilize it the most.
Finally, the implementation of the “homeless bank”, is
something we have never accomplished before. This will
assist as a resource for those who are having difficulty with
transitioning away from the “homeless life”.
What Have I Learned?
“As a result of this community assessment, I have
learned a great deal about my community as well as the
difficulties we face in assisting our vulnerable populations.
It is often challenging to determine who is most at need
when you spend your days caring for multiple individuals
with multiple issues. Creating a plan to help improve our
community issues, has taught me that there is always a new
plan to implement that may benefit vulnerable populations
and their entire communities alike.” - Jennifer R. Williams
 Resources
Cause of Death by Age, Mason County 2007. (n.d.). Michigan Department of Community

Health.. Retrieved from http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha

Health

District Health Department #10: Statistics. (n.d.). District Health Department #10: Home.
Home.

Retrieved from http://www.dhd10.org/about/statistics

DELEG - January Unemployment Rates Increase in All of Michigan's Regional Labor

Markets. (n.d.). SOM - State of Michigan

Michigan.. Retrieved from

http://www.michigan.gov/dleg/0,1607,7--154--
http://www.michigan.gov/dleg/0,1607,7 154--211061
211061--
--,00.html
,00.html

How to End Homelessness. (n.d.). National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Homelessness. Retrieved

from www.endhomelessness.org

Linn, M., Sandifer, R., & Stein, S. (n.d.). Effects of unemployment on mental and

physical health.. National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Information. Retrieved from

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1646287/

Mason County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. (n.d.). State and County

QuickFacts. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/gfd/states/26/26105.html

Maurer, F. A., & Smith, C. M. (2008). Community/Public Health Nursing Practice:

Health for Families and Populations (null ed.). St. Louis: Saunders.

The basics of homelessness. (n.d.). National Health Care for the Homeless Council.
Council.

Retrieved from http://www.nhchc.org/Publications/basics_of_homelessness.ht