Running head: ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT 1

Atchison Community Assessment

Jenna Hinckley, Cassidy Helena, Ashley King, Riley Smith, James McComb

University of Saint Mary

Description of Community Core

ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
2

Atchison is a town rich in history. The county was founded in 1855 as one of the first counties in

Kansas (“Services Area: Atchison County,” n.d.). Being that it was founded so early, much of the town

has a variety of historic buildings, it holds the title as Amelia Earhart’s birthplace, has a few “haunted”

houses, and beautiful Victorian style homes. Atchison’s current day standing reflects its historical nature,

showing those who view it a glimpse into the eighteen and nineteen hundreds. Although it could be

described as having rustic charm, one could also say the town is a bit rundown with most streets being

very unmaintained and others still being made of brick as well as a majority of the houses looking as

though they need maintenance.

The demographics of Atchison include a population of 10,798 people. The median age is 30.1

years and has a male/female ratio of 0.9:1, with 44% of these being married, while 51% have families

with kids under 18. As far as cultural and ethnic diversity, 98% of the population speaks English and 0%

speaking Spanish (the other 2% is not specified) (“Atchison, KS Demographics,” 2016). The median

household income in 2016 was $41,696 with a 2.92% growth. Demographically, 85.8% of Atchison is

white, 5.21% is black, 3.36% is Hispanic and 0.35% is Native (“Data, USA,” 2016).

The boundaries of the community are not exact. Driving into the city, one will see a sign

indicating they are entering the city of Atchison. There is a main suburban area but surrounding the

neighborhoods, downtown, and industrial area is rural countryside. The fields encompassing their

suburbia make the definition of the borders blurry. Assessment of the town was kept to the main city

portion. See Appendix B for map of Atchison.

Windshield Survey

Introduction
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
3

The Atchison community is an older community that could use a little bit of a facelift, but seems

to be working fine for the population that lives there. The population is made up mostly of families that

have lived there their whole lives into older adulthood as well as college students who go to Benedictine.

With a town so old and with so much history, it is easy for the population to want to keep it how it has

always been. The overall health of Atchison is below the average status compared to similar surrounding

communities. The survey took place on October 19, 2018 at noon and 6pm. The downtown area and the

Benedictine campus were the healthiest, most well kept parts of the community while a lot of the

residential neighborhoods and industrial areas were not. The following describes observations of specific

areas of the community and services within the community.

Housing

Atchison boasts a wide variety of housing options ranging from historical brick mansions built in

the 1860’s to modern apartment living. The majority of the town is composed of smaller houses similar to

what can be found in Leavenworth. Depending on the area of town one is in, the houses are either very

well maintained or not kept up at all. Some of the lower income areas had vacant houses that had been

boarded up or abandoned. There were no obvious trailer parks but some of the neighborhoods had several

double wide trailer homes on lots. There are some multi-family houses available to buy or rent in

Atchison and the city has also partnered with the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation’s Moderate

Income Housing Program to incentivise contractors to build more affordable housing for lower income

families. Atchison is a very established community, most of the buildings and houses have been around

for quite some time and the newer developments appeared to be mostly industrial or commercial. There

were also For-Sale signs seen on most of the streets. The housing in the town would indicate that

Atchison has a relatively low income level. Aside from a couple of historical areas where the older, nicer

mansions are, the rest of the housing options are low-middle or lower class residential options.

Parks and recreational areas

There are multiple parks and recreational areas in Atchison. There is a fitness trail on River Road

off 2nd street near Benedictine College. This is a dirt road along the river along with multiple stretching
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
4

and fitness stations at the beginning of the road. Many people utilize this trail for biking and running.

There is also Jackson Park off highway 7. This park has multiple hiking paths, picnic benches, awnings,

and a playground for young children. The playground is well maintained, but the road itself is poorly

maintained and has multiple potholes and steep ditches. When the windshield survey was conducted, an

older couple sitting at a picnic table were the only people seen at the park even though it was 60 degrees

and sunny. During the evening around 6pm, there was no one in the park. There is a dirt baseball field on

8th and Riley St. available for the community to use. The field looked maintained, the grass was mowed

and the dirt seemed raked. There were lights near the field as well so people could play at night safely.

There was no one out on the field on either of the times of the survey. There is a YMCA in the middle of

downtown on Commercial St. This building looked newly renovated and modern and there were multiple

cars parked outside of the building. There is a community pool on Commercial St. as well. The pool was

closed due to the season, but the pool and building looked older and well maintained. There is a soccer

field complex off of 17th street that was not seen during the survey, but pictures online show a large grass

field with soccer goals and painted lines with not many buildings in the surrounding area. There are also

multiple parks with basketball courts, tennis courts, and baseball fields. These parks are Bromley park

(Julia St.), Independence park (2nd and Atchison), and Reisner park (10th and Riley). Warnock lake is

another outdoor recreation area. There are sand volleyball courts, hiking trails, awnings and picnic tables

along with grills. RV parking is available along with tent camping areas. There was a few people fishing

on the lake in the afternoon when the survey was done. The last outdoor activity areas are the Pineview

Country Club (Ottawa Rd.) and the Atchison Golf Club at Bellevue (Country Club Rd.).

There are also many museums in Atchison. There is the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum

(Terrace St.), the Atchison County Historical Society Museum (10th St.), the Atchison Railroad Museum

(10th St.), the Evah C. Cray Historical Home Museum (5th St.) and the Munich Art Gallery (4th St.).

Signs of decay and/or pollution

The majority of the homes in Atchison are poorly maintained. They are rusted, dirty, and have a

lot of junk in their front yards. There is not a lot of trash in the streets, the parks and walking trails are
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
5

well-kept, also. Not a lot of pollution/trash is noticed in the community, including no garbage-filled

vacant land. There is evidence of air pollution. The community includes infrastructure that emits constant

smoke from the buildings. There is no evidence of water or ground pollution.

Transportation

The main form of transportation seen being used is cars. A few people were riding bikes. There is

no public transportation available to the community, although there is meals on wheels which helps take

citizens of all ages from their home to the place being served food and back. Streets are not well-

maintained. There are a lot of potholes and are very old, making the windshield survey a very bumpy ride.

The highway entering the town is well-maintained. There is no traffic congestion, aside from the

occasional line behind a passing train.

Health and Social Service Agencies

There are a lot of health services in Atchison, which can probably be attributed to its older adult

population. It has its own hospital (Atchison Hospital) located at the edge of town right when you enter

town coming in on Amelia Earhart Memorial Highway. There is an Atchison County Health Department

and a place where social and rehab services are offered. There are a few pharmacies located throughout

town including CVS, Walmart, and Kex Rx pharmacy. There is also an Atchison Community Health

Clinic that offers a variety of services. Some of these services include medical, dental, and behavioral

health. They also offer outreach and enrollment programs for people needing assistance with Medicare,

Medicaid, or disability enrollment. Along with those, they offer classes to help with things like smoking

cessation, diabetes management, and chronic pain coping (“Atchison Comm. Health Clinic”, 2018). There

are at least 15-20 different primary health care providers that can be found when googling “primary care

providers in Atchison, KS”. These include many family practice physicians as well as a few specialized in

areas like cardiology, occupational health, etc. It seems that there are a decent amount of healthcare

services that could cover most basic health issues, however anything of higher acuity would not be able to

be dealt with within the community.

Economics
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
6

The majority of the industries located in Atchison are in the main town center or within 5 minutes

of it. There were not many places to work that were not retail but the main employers were MGP

distillery, the hospital, and the schools in the area. MGP distillery employs over 300 people at their main

plant in Atchison and is the largest US supplier of distilled gin and rye whiskey. There was a surprising

number of insurance brokers for the size of the town.

Protective Services

The fire department and police department are three blocks north of downtown Atchison on 6th

street. There were police patrolling the streets of Atchison during the windshield survey and firemen

outside of the fire station. Most houses had identical trash cans and recycling bins on their curbs that read,

“City of Atchison Kansas” on them. All of the trash cans had the labels and ID numbers facing forward

and were placed near each person’s mailbox. The water treatment plant is fairly new being completed in

2016 and producing eight million gallons of quality water for the residents of Atchison each day (“City of

Atchison, Kansas”, 2018). Atchison also has a wastewater treatment plant that receives water from many

sources throughout Atchison’s collection system. The used water comes from homes, businesses,

industries, groundwater, surface water and stormwater. This water goes through numerous stages of

treatment to remove contaminants which includes physical, chemical, and biological processes (“City of

Atchison, Kansas”, 2018).

Religion

There is an abundance of churches spread throughout the town of Atchison. There are ten

Catholic churches, two methodist churches, four baptist churches, two lutheran churches, and 9 other

protestant churches. Due to the many churches throughout the town, not all were seen during the survey.

St. Benedict’s Abbey and St. Benedict Catholic churches were seen. Both of these churches are on

Benedictine College’s campus. They are both well maintained and had a traditional and older style

architecture. The other church seen was the Seventh Day Adventist Church downtown, this was also an

older stone building and it was well maintained.

Schools
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
7

Atchison has a total of 3 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 2 colleges. Of

these there is a private high school, Maur Hill-Mount Academy, and a public high school, Atchison High

School. For middle schools, there is a public middle school, Atchison Middle School, and a private school

that teaches from preschool through eighth grade, Trinity Lutheran School. Counting Trinity Lutheran

School as both elementary and middle school, that leaves the public school Atchison Elementary School,

and the private Saint Benedict’s Elementary school. Lastly, there are two colleges. The private catholic

school, Benedictine, and the public community college, Highland. Atchison High School, Atchison

Elementary School and Highland Community College are located on the west side outskirts of town.

Trinity Lutheran School and Atchison Middle school are both located central of town. Saint Benedict’s

and Benedictine are both northeast of the town. Maur Hill-Mount Academy is located at the very southern

border of the town.

General Observations

When the windshield survey was conducted, there was not a lot of evidence of people loitering or

any gang activity. There were people sitting on their porches in the early evening, and few people and

families walking around downtown. The main thing that stood out was the fact that the streets were not

very well maintained, and that there were a lot of abandoned, boarded up homes and buildings.

Communication

Atchison has a biweekly newspaper named Atchison Daily Globe. This newspaper also maintains

an online presence that keeps the residents updated on local news, sports, schools, important voices in the

community, global news, and more. The local radio broadcaster, KAIR is located on 5th street and is

Atchison’s local radio station. KAIR Hot Country 93.7, is the local radio station that provides listeners

with new country music, local news, sports, weather, and community events (“KAIR Radio...Hot Country

93.7, n.d.). While driving around Atchison with elections coming up there were tons of political

billboards and signs. The only political party observed on these signs was the Republican party which
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
8

reflects the political background of Atchison residents. While driving around Atchison there were

multiple confederate flags flying from homes and vehicles.

Commercial areas

The downtown area is one little street called Commercial Street lined with small shops. The street

is not paved for cars to drive, but made with stone for a nice wide path to walk on through the shops.

There were many park benches and places to stop and hang out. There were a lot of insurance and law

offices and banks, but not very many retail stores. The retail stores included a small shoe store and a

couple boutiques. There were also a couple flower shops and a guitar store. While the rest of Atchison has

a church around every corner, the only church in the downtown area is a Seventh Day Adventist Church.

There were not a lot of people in the downtown area either of the times we visited it. It was hard to tell if

there were a lot of cultural and ethnic groups represented - the stores were mainly of North American

culture. The downtown area is really nice with a grand arch marking the entrance of the shopping area. It

is probably the most well kept part of Atchison aside from the Benedictine campus. As far as restaurants

go, most of the restaurants in Atchison are located in different parts around town. There are only a few

places on Commercial Street to eat though. There are a couple Bar & Grills, a Mexican restaurant, a

steakhouse, a donut shop, and a pizza place. It is not a huge area with common outlet stores like places

like the Legends or Zona Rosa - it is mostly small businesses most likely run by families from the area.

Secondary Data

At the county and city level of Atchison, there are tons of different statistics that stand out among the

others. There are currently 10,798 people residing in the city of Atchison. The main cause of mortality

among this population is ischemic heart disease with 187.2 males per 100,000 dying of this disease and

118.3 female per 100,000. When it comes to crime in Atchison, property crime exceeds violent crime by a

landslide. In 2018, 16% of the population was described as having poor or fair health. See Appendix C for

more statistics regarding Atchison. Most of the very important information regarding Atchison, Kansas

can be found on their public websites, cityofatchison.com and atchisonkansas.com. These website inform

their residents on the communities disaster plan, services provided within the community, resources
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
9

available, and much more regarding the quality of these residents lives. The services available in Atchison

are a police/fire department, water treatment plant, trash collection, and a social and rehab facility. There

are no transportation services provided, but Project Concern is a non for profit program that provides

cheap transportation, free meals, and Meals on Wheels to the population that needs it.

According to cityofatchison.com, the community preparedness plan if disaster happens is as follows:

● “Remain calm and patient, put your plan into action

● Check for injuries

● Give first aid and get help for seriously injured people

● Listen to your battery powered radio for new and instructions-- tune to KAIR Radio 93.7

● Evacuate if advised to do so, wear protective clothing and sturdy shoes, you may also be asked to

“Shelter-in-Place”

● Check for damage in your home

● Use flashlights-- do not light matches or turn on electrical switches if you suspect damage

● Check for fires, fire hazards, and other household hazards

● Sniff for gas leaks starting at the water heater, if you smell gas or suspect a leak turn off the main

gas valve, open windows, and get everyone outside quickly

● Shut off any other damaged utilities, if not damaged, you may leave utilities on

● Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches, gasoline, and other flammable liquids immediately

● Locate your 72 hour kit or preparedness supplies and put them in safe location

Also remember to:

● Confine or secure your pets

● Call your family contact-- use your cell phone sparingly to conserve the battery’s charge

● Check on your neighbors, especially elderly or disabled persons

● Make sure you have an adequate water supply in care service is cut off

● Stay away from downed power lines

● Do not turn on utilities. That should be done by a trained utility employee” (2018)
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
10

Informant Interview with Key People

Three community members were interviewed via email sent out on October 3rd: a head coach at

Benedictine College, a student in the Masters program at Benedictine College, and a young adult that has

grown up in Atchison his whole life. These people were chosen because each has a unique perspective of

the community. The coach is employed by Benedictine College, a large employer in the town, and he is a

big supporter of community outreach by the college students to the youth of Atchison. The student in the

Masters program has lived in Atchison for five years and is employed by the college as well as a local

restaurant. She has developed friends in the community through her work and has become well

established in the town. The third person interviewed has lived in Atchison his whole life and could

provide how the town has progressed/ declined in many different aspects.

There was a general trend of the interview answers that related to the lack of safe activities for

Atchison’s youth. More after school programs or local initiatives should be implemented to help provide

children and young adults with safe opportunities. Another issue that was discussed throughout multiple

interviews was the lack of employment that offer more than minimum wage. Residents will travel to

Weston or St. Joseph for career opportunities. The person who lived in Atchison his whole life travels to

Weston everyday for his job at Holladay Distillery. Each person interviewed has more than one job in

order to maintain financial stability.

Discuss

Problems that were seen throughout the city of Atchison included old roads and houses that were

not well maintained, high amounts of pollution, a high rate of smoking, a lack of public transportation, a

lack in places of employment, and a lack in safe outlets for the youth of the community. There were many

abandoned buildings and houses that were boarded up and nothing was being done with them. The roads

were full of potholes and were not well maintained at all. There is a large distillery that puts out copious

amounts of pollutants into the air. The only form of transportation seen was cars/small vehicles - there

were no buses, and no one was seen using bicycles. The people that were interviewed expressed their

concern about the fact that there were really no places of employment other than the distillery or the
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
11

schools. They also expressed concern about the fact that the city’s youth did not have safe outlets outside

of school. Another big problem is the smoking and illicit drug use of the population. Another interviewee

expressed concern for the towns safety in regards to illicit drug use. There is also a very high rate of

poverty and homelessness that needs some work. The morbidity and health rates of Atchison are also

pretty high in comparison with the United States as a whole. (See statistics in section C).

While there were a multitude of problems within the community, probably attributed to the age of

it, it also had a few good strengths. As far as healthcare, the community provides a multitude of options

for different types of healthcare including a hospital, many primary care physicians, dentists, and

chiropractors. There are also plenty of schools to accommodate the population size plus a college where it

is very common for the population to attend after high school graduation. They provide a lot of resources

for the community including plenty of resources for the older adult. There are homeless shelters, quick

health clinics, a community center, and plenty of churches that provide services in all aspects. Another

strength this community has is its emergency services. The police and fire stations are located right

downtown which gives them the ability to respond to most places very quickly. Many patrol cars were

seen out and about in the community. There is also a boys and girls club that is doing work to combat

teens engaging in risky behaviors. It is, however, the only program the community implements to help

teens. The downtown area is a very nice place for people of the community to spend their evenings or

weekends off. There are a few different places that can be visited for different needs as well as a couple

different restaurants that people can eat at. There are a few more weaknesses than strengths in the

Atchison Community.

The Healthy People 2020 objective that fits the strengths and weaknesses of Atchison best is

ECBP-2: Increase the proportion of elementary, middle, and senior high schools that provide

comprehensive school health education to prevent health problems in the following areas: unintentional

injury; violence; suicide; tobacco use and addiction; alcohol or other drug use; unintended pregnancy,

HIV/AIDS, and STD infection; unhealthy dietary patterns; and inadequate physical activity (“Healthy

People 2020”, 2018). This objective encompasses almost every issue that the people of Atchison face as a
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
12

whole - morbidities, alcohol use, illicit drug use, smoking, teen pregnancy, poverty and homelessness. If

it can be combated at a young age, the rates of these issues would go down drastically. (See statistics in

section C). This objective also goes along with the plan that is to be discussed later in this paper.

Diagnosis

A nursing diagnosis that addresses Atchison's substance abuse problem of smoking is deficient

community health, related to substance abuse, as evidenced by inadequate social support for program.

According to Data USA, 17.7% of adults in Atchison County smoke cigarettes. The community is aware

of the risks associated with smoking but are not ready to make a change and quit. There are programs in

place to educate the community including the live well live Atchison website which has a plethora of

information and statistics concerning smoking.

A nursing diagnosis that addresses the risky behaviors of the youth in Atchison is risk prone health

behavior, related to inadequate comprehension, as evidenced by failure to take action that prevents health

problems. There was inconclusive data on the number of teens that use tobacco since the surveys only

covered adults, and the teen pregnancy rate in Atchison County was 18% in 2014.

Plan

After reviewing the interviews, a common problem known among the citizens of the community

is the lack of education in youth about participating in risky behaviors. There is a Boys and Girls Club

already established in the community where there is a large outreach. Since a lot of kids (elementary

through high school) already go to the club after school, it would be an optimal place to implement a

program educating them on said risky behaviors and their negative consequences. The community health

nurse would reach out to the director of the club and present them with the idea. Following their probable

agreeance to implement the program, a discussion of the funding would partake. The Boys and Girls Club

receives funding partially through the government, but is mainly funded through donations. They also

provide transportation for the kids. The nurse would work out an agreement with them on budgeting a

certain portion for the program, but the risky behavior program will be relatively inexpensive. Budgeting

would include printing costs for pamphlets and other paper resources for the kids to take home and
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
13

potential use during program allotted hours, coming out to around $1,000. There would be a budget of

$3,000 for activities including field trips, crafts, guest speakers, etc. The community nurse would be paid

$100/per month, $25/session (1 session per week). The plan could be implemented within a month, after

going over specifics with the director like what times could be allotted, which day of the week, making a

teaching plan for each day, etc. A Healthy People 2020 objective that is consistent is SA-4 increase the

proportion of adolescents who perceive a great risk associated with substance abuse

(healthypeople2020.gov). Implementing this program will help adolescents see the negative consequences

of substance abuse because this topic will be addressed during the program.

In the article by Campa, Leff, and Tufts (2018), a program educating the youth on sexual

education needs to be expanded beyond the school setting. This supports the intended plan of educating

youth in an out of school setting to further express the importance of knowing the effects of risky

behaviors. In the second article by Kremer, Maynard, Polanin, Vaughn, & Sarteschi (2015), promotes

after school programs as comprehensive programs that offer many different activities ranging from play

and socializing activities, academic enrichment and homework help, snacks, community service

opportunities, sports, arts and crafts, music, etc. These activities offered within the after school programs

for the youth have goals set in place to provide reliable and safe supervision for after school hours. Which

is exactly the intended plan for Atchison, Kansas and helping reduce the risky behaviors of the youth

population. According to the article these after school programs help alleviate crime, academic

achievement gap, substance abuse, and other behavioral problems and academic shortcomings.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the plan, the attendance of the after school program would be

measured. Also, a comparison of the prevalence of teens engaging in risky behaviors after a year of the

implementation would be seen.

References
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
14

Area Vibes (2016). Atchison, KS Crime. Retrieved from https://www.areavibes.com/atchison-

ks/crime/

Atchison Community Health Clinic (2018). Patient Services. Retrieved from https://achc-

ks.org/patient-services/

Atchison, KS Demographics. (2016). Areavibes. Retrieved from

https://www.areavibes.com/atchison-ks/demographics/

Campa, M. I., Leff, S. Z., & Tufts, M. (2018). Reaching High-Need Youth Populations With

Evidence-Based Sexual Health Education in California. American Journal of Public

Health, 108, S32–S37. https://doi-org.stmary.idm.oclc.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.304127

City of Atchison, Kansas (2018). Water Treatment Plant, Waste Water Treatment Plant.

Retrieved from

cityofatchison.com

Data USA: Atchison, KS. (2016). Data USA. Retrieved from

https://datausa.io/profile/geo/atchison-ks/#top

Google Maps. (2018). Atchison, KS. Retrieved from

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Atchison,+KS/@39.5612615,-

95.2447275,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x87bf8b3f5eee3b71:0x188eea2cdc3d3917

!8m2!3d39.5630521!4d-95.1216356

Healthy People 2020 (2018). Educational and Community-Based Programs. Retrieved from

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/educational-and-

community-based-programs/objectives

Healthy People 2020 (2018). Substance Abuse. Retrieved from

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/substance-abuse/objectives
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
15

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), US County Profile: Atchison County,

Kansas. Seattle, WA: IHME, 2016.

KAIR Radio… Hot Country 93.7 (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.kairfm.com

Kremer, K., Maynard, B., Polanin, J., Vaughn, M., & Sarteschi, C. (2015). Effects of

After-School Programs with At-Risk Youth on Attendance and Externalizing Behaviors:

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 44(3), 616–

636. https://doi-org.stmary.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s10964-014-0226-4

Services Area: Atchison County. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.atchisoncountyks.org/

Tobacco-free Living. (2018). Retrieved from

https://livewellatchison.org/our-work/tobacco-free-living/

U.S. Census Bureau (2016). American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Retrieved from’

Census Reporter Profile page for Atchison, KS

<https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US2002900-atchison-ks/>

US Census Bureau (2017). Quick Facts: Atchison County, KS. Retrieved from

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/atchisoncountykansas

Atchison County, KS (2018). County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Retrieved from

http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/kansas/2018/rankings/atchison/county/outcome

s/overall/snapshot

Appendix A

Interview Questions

Community Assessment Interview Questions:

Please answer the questions and send back to Cassidy.helena@my.stmary.edu

ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
16

1. What brought you to Atchison?

2. How long have you lived here? Do you plan on staying much longer?

3. How would you describe the towns population?

4. What is a concern you have with the town? (Safety/ jobs/ etc)

5. What is an area that you think contributes to the quality of life in town? Why?

6. What is something you wish to improve about Atchison?

7. What are activities you do for entertainment in Atchison?

8. What do you consider an issue in the town?

Appendix B

Map of Atchison
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
17

(Google Maps, 2018)

Appendix C

● Total population of Atchison Kansas- 10,798 (Census Reporter, 2016)

● Birth rate: Atchison’s birth rate as of 2016 was 6% (Town Charts, 2018)
ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
18

● Death rate in Atchison City: Males- 1,064.3 per 100,000, Females- 748 per 100,000 (IMHE,

2014)

● Mortality rate (per 100,000) findings: (IMHE, 2014)

○ Ischemic heart disease: Male- 187.2, Female- 118.3

○ Cerebrovascular disease: Male- 69.9, Female- 56.7

○ Tracheal, bronchus and lung cancer: Male- 85.5, Female- 53.2

○ Breast cancer: Male- 0.3, Female- 30.5

○ Malignant skin melanoma: Male- 5.5, Female- 2.6

○ Diabetes, urogenital, blood, and endocrine diseases: Male- 99.1, Female- 57.8

○ Self-harm and interpersonal violence: Male- 32.8, Female- 11.7

○ Transport injuries: Male- 32.8, Female- 11.7

○ Mental and substance use disorders: Male- 10.9, Female- 7.5

○ Cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases: Male- 20.2, Female- 12.3

● Morbidity: As of 2017, 11.4% of people under the age of 65 have a disability (county) (US

Census Bureau, 2017).

● Crime rate in Atchison City, Kansas: violent crime rate is 6% lower than Kansas average however

property crime rate is 33% higher than Kansas average (Area Vibes, 2016)

○ Murder: 0

○ Rape: 93.9/100,000 people

○ Robbery: 65.7/100,000 people

○ Assault: 197.1/100,000 people

○ Violent crime: 367/100,000 people

○ Burglary: 685.2/100,000 people

○ Theft: 2,750.1/100,000 people

○ Vehicle theft: 140.8/100,000 people

○ Property crime: 3,576/100,000 people

ATCHISON COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
19

● Health status in Atchison County in 2018: poor or fair health- 16% (County Health Rankings &

Roadmaps, 2018)

● Graduation rates in the City of Atchison, Kansas (United States Census Bureau, n.d.)

○ High school graduates: 92.3%

○ Bachelor’s degree or higher: 23.7%

● Atchison County employment status: Population age 16 and older in the workforce: 62.5%

(United States Census Bureau, n.d.)

● Vehicle crashes: As of 2016, 356 vehicular crashes took place in Atchison, Kansas (United States

Census Bereau, n.d.)

● Alcohol use in youth: In 2015, 15% of Atchison County youth surveyed reported having beer,

wine or hard liquor at least once within the past 30 days and 15% surveyed reported they were 15

years old when they first began drinking alcohol regularly (County Health Rankings &

Roadmaps, 2018).