Running Head: COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT 1

Community Assessment: Damascus, Maryland

LaDonna Henderson

Frostburg State University

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Community Assessment: Damascus, Maryland

Community health assessments are tools used to examine a given community and its

members in order to determine ways to best identify and meet the communitys needs and

address concerns. They ultimately are used to inform community decision-making, the

prioritization of health problems, and the development, implementation, and evaluation of

community health improvement plans (Definitions of Community Health [PDF], n.d.). The

purpose of this assignment is to conduct a thorough assessment of a local community, identify

the main problems or needs within that community, and provide recommendations based on

goals and objectives designed to prioritize future growth and development of the community. For

this assignment, I have chosen the community of Damascus, Maryland.

Community as Place

Community Description

Damascus is a rural community located in northern part of Maryland in Montgomery

County (see Appendix A for pictures obtained during the Windshield Survey). It is known for its

family-owned farms and also boasts having the highest point in the county at 866 feet above sea

level. It is recognized as a census designated place (CDP) by the United State Census Bureau.

According to the Damascus Heritage Society Museum, Damascus was founded in 1816 when 40

acres of the developing area originally granted to Nathaniel Pigman in 1782 was bought by

Edward Hughes. Hughes subdivided this land into lots for sale and called the developing

community The Pleasant Plains of Damascus after the Damascus in Syria. The town of

Damascus was officially established when Hughes petitioned Congress and received permission

for a postal route through the area. (History of Damascus, 2017).

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Boundaries and Topography

Damascus covers 9.6 square miles but its borders are not officially defined, as it is an

unincorporated area. It lies within the northwestern part of Montgomery County, one of the top

15 richest counties in America (Geldis, 2012) and is about 40 miles from Washington, D.C. It is

situated at the junction of highway 27 (Ridge Road) and highway108 (Damascus Road) and is

about 40 miles from Washington, D.C. (see Appendix B for pictorial representation). Damascus

is a mostly rural area with surrounding farmland and still retains its original designation as a

commercial hub for its smaller neighboring communities (History of Damascus, 2017).

Environmental Controls

The health of a community is influenced by the environment surrounding it. Proper waste

disposal, access to clean water, and pollution-free air help maintain the well-being of the

community. How a community addresses these concerns will determine their influence on the

population. Information regarding environmental control for Damascus was gathered at the

county level from the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Waste disposal. The Division of Solid Waste Services of the Montgomery DEP operates

The Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station and the Recycling Center. Proof of

county residence is required to drop off waste and recyclables. There are also scheduled

trash/recycling residential pickup days. Additionally, there are privately owned companies who

provide trash and recycling collection services.

Water supply. There are 8 major watersheds and nearly 150 smaller ones that serve

Montgomery County. The health of watersheds has a direct effect on the health and safety of the

residents in a community. Damascus is part of the Patuxent River watershed, which is one of the
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most heavily forested and healthiest watersheds in the county based on the stream sampling

conditions (Watershed Health, 2015). Public water and sewer service is available to most

county residents and is provided by The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC),

but there are still some private wells and septic systems still in use (Public water and sewer

service, 2017). One of the three water treatment plants operated by WSSC is located in

Damascus.

Air pollution. Healthy air helps maintain a healthy lifestyle. The Air Quality Control

Law in Montgomery County (which covers Damascus, Maryland) defines air pollution as the

presence in the atmosphere of any substance (or combination of substances) likely to pose a

health hazard to humans, plants, or animals or unreasonably interfere with the use and enjoyment

of property (Air quality law, 2017). Two of the six air pollutants identified by the Air Quality

Control Law, ozone and particulate matter, are more likely to reach an unhealthy level in the

Montgomery County area (see Appendix C for a description of the rating system). When the air

pollution level is expected to reach an unhealthy level, Air Quality Action Days are enacted. This

is usually in the summer months during hot humid weather conditions. The current Air Quality

Index measurement in Damascus is 35 (Outdoor air quality, 2017), which places the current air

quality in the green level meaning that air pollution poses little to no risk at this time.

Types of Housing

According to the U.S. Census Bureau Demographic Profile Data, in 2010 there were

approximately 5,172 housing units available in Damascus, Maryland, with 96.9% occupied and

162 units vacant. Of the occupied housing units, 88% were owner occupied and 12% were rental

properties. Average household size in both owner and renter occupied units was 3 persons.
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Additionally, in the state of Maryland, there are 2,030,745 acres of farmland with the

average farm size being 166 acres. According to the 2012 census data, as the state contains 6.25

million acres of land, this means that 32.5 percent of Marylands land area was in farms in 2012

(Census of agriculture: Data for Maryland, 2012) (see Appendix D for a breakdown of the

number of farms by size of acres). Over the five-year period between 2007 and 2012, the number

of farmland in Maryland decreased by 21,011 acres; however, this was the smallest loss of

farmland since 1987, representing only 1.0 percent of all existing farmland in 2007 (Census of

agriculture, 2012).

Community as People

Population Profile

According to the 2015 American Community Survey (ACS), Damascus had a population

of 15,267 residents. Damascus residents account for about 0.3% of Marylands total population

of over 5.9 million. The population density for this area is approximately 415 people per square

mile.

Age. The mean resident age in Damascus is 37.2 years for female and 38.4 for males.

Twenty percent of the population is between the ages of 45 and 55 years old. Nearly a quarter of

the residents in Damascus are school-aged children (ages 5 to 18) and 6.5% are over the age of

65. (American community survey, 2015) (See Appendix F for population distribution by age).

Sex. In Damascus, the population is fairly evenly divided between male and female, with

48.6% male and 51.4% female (ACS, 2015).

Race/ethnicity. The majority (80%) of Damascus residents indicate that they are of

Caucasian origin, 12.1 Hispanic, 8.8% African-American, 6.9% Asian, and 0.2% American
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Indian/Alaska Native. Three and a half percent of Damascus residents identify as having two or

more races, mostly Caucasian and African-American (1.3%) or Caucasian and Asian (0.9)

(ACS, 2015). The most common language spoken is Damascus is English, but 15.2% report

speaking English as a second language (ESL), which is lower than the national average of 21%.

The most common languages spoken, other than English, were Spanish (6.8%), Chinese (1.5%),

and Korean (1.1%) (Data USA, n.d.).

Birth and death rates. As specific records were not found for Damascus, state

information issued by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) was evaluated. The overall

birth rate for Maryland was 12.2 births per 1,000 population and death rate was 7.9 deaths per

1,000 population. The life expectancy of a child born in 2015 in Montgomery County was 79.5

years (Hogan, Rutherford, & Schrader, 2015). Specific information for Montgomery County was

also evaluated. In 2015, the MDH reported 13,152 live births, 0.8% of which were born to

mothers younger than 18 years of age and 28.1% were born to unmarried women. Almost 9% of

all infants born in 2015 in Montgomery County were less than 37 weeks gestation, with 91% of

these being born to women with maternal age 37 or older. For that same time period, there were

6,018 deaths recorded. The majority of these deaths were of people 75 years of age and older.

(Vital statistics jurisdictional data, 2015).

Leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Analyzing morbidity and mortality data is

essential in assessing the health of a community. Such data can augment assessment studies to

form the basis for planning health programs (Allender, Warner, Rector, & Allender, 2014, p.

125).

When examining death rates for Montgomery County, the leading causes of death in

2015 were cancer (1,434 deaths), heart disease (1,343 deaths), stroke (297 deaths), accidents
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(208 deaths), and chronic lower respiratory disease (203 deaths). For Maryland overall, heart

disease was the leading cause of death, followed by cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory

disease, and accidents (motor vehicle accidents, falls, and drug overdoses) (Vital statistics

jurisdictional data, 2015).

Population stability

The population of Damascus in 2010 U.S. Census was 15,257, which represented a

33.5% increase over the prior decade. The community plan as currently in the Damascus Master

Plan maintains a forward thinking vision which reflects a desire for a sustainable future of

compact development patterns and protection of the surrounding rural environment (while)

renewing the towns former retail vitality and addressing quality of life issues for current and

future residents (Damascus master plan, 2006). Population growth is focused around The

Town Center, which is designed to be the heart of the community and will provide a planned

growth pattern to increase sustainability. From 2010 to 2017, there has been a 0.76% growth rate

per year and a 0.84% growth rate is predicted between 2017 and 2022 (Damascus, MD profile:

Facts, map & data, 2017). As of October 2015, zoning has approved the construction of 268

new residential housing units and 221,000 square feet of non-residential development

(Damascus master plan, 2006).

Socioeconomic status

Based on 2015 data reports, the median household income in Damascus, MD was

$115,689, which represents a 0.07% growth from the previous year (Damascus, MD profile:

Facts, map & data, 2017). The per capita income is estimated to have risen from $26,659 in

2000 to $41,958 in 2015. With an aggregate household income of over 50 million dollars, 44%
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of the households in Damascus have a yearly income between $100,000 to $20,000 (compared to

27.5% statewide), and 16.6% have greater than $200,000 (compared to 9.6 statewide) (Income

map, earnings map, and wages data, 2017). In Damascus, 2015 estimates show that 5.3 of

residents had income below the poverty level, which is less than the 6.7% figure for

Montgomery County residents. (American community survey demographic and housing

estimates, 2015).

Occupations. Damascus, Maryland has 8315 employed workers and is predominantly a

white-collar community, 70.2% versus 29.8 blue-collar. The most common industries are

professional, scientific, and technical services including occupations in management, sales,

computers, architecture, engineering, education, and business (Damascus demographics &

statistics, 2017). Residents commute about 40 minutes to work each day (Quickfacts:

Damascus, MD, n.d.).

Damascus is also the commercial hub for the surrounding farming community. There are

more than 540 farms in Montgomery County and most are family-run. They employ more than

10,000 residents and produce $287 million in agricultural products. The 93,000-acre Agriculture

Preserve of Montgomery County was developed to help safeguard the areas strong agriculture

heritage and provide support for the countys farmers (Agricultural facts, 2017).

Employment level. The unemployment rate for Damascus in June of 2017 was 3.2%.

This is lower than both the Maryland unemployment rate (3.9%) and the national rate (4.3%) for

the same month (20872 unemployment rate report, 2017).

Educational Status. According to the 2016 American Community Survey, 93% of the

residents in Damascus are high school graduates, with only a 7% dropout rate. Of those with a
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higher education, 10% have an associates degree, 52% have a bachelors degree, 28% have a

masters degree, and 5% have a doctorate degree.

Community as Social Systems

Adequacy of Facilities

Educational, recreational, and daycare facilities were evaluated. Primary education

facilities are mostly county schools and appear adequate to serve the population of Damascus.

There are several recreational facilities offering both individual and group services. Daycare and

childcare facilities are available and easily accessible

Educational. There are 5 public schools in Damascus. These schools serve 3,406

school-age children in the area. The average student:teacher ratio is 16:1. Of those 5 schools,

there are 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. There are also 3 public

preschools in Damascus (serving 1,382 children) and one private Methodist preschool that has

been in operation for over 30 years (serving 145 students). The public schools in Damascus

have a diversity score of 0.62 which is higher than the Maryland average of 0.40 (Damascus

public schools, 2017). Minority enrollment ranges from 5% in the private preschool to 50% in

the public preschools.

Recreational. Damascus has a community recreation center, a senior center, a

recreational park, several Farmers Markets through the spring and summer months. It is notable

for its famous ice cream shop, Jimmie Cone, which a must-have when driving through Damascus

on a hot summer day.

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Daycare. For families desiring an alternative to in-school programs, in addition to the

public and private preschools, there are 18 family childcare providers/group home daycares

identified that provide quality childcare programs in Damascus. These programs provide quality

childcare in a supervised licensed home setting (Home and group home daycare in Damascus

MD, 2017).

Adequacy of Provisions

Transportation. The adequacy of travel provisions for Damascus residents is negatively

affected by the traffic congestion created by it geographic location. Traffic congestion is one of

the biggest transportation issues in Damascus. With its location in the northern part of the

county, travelers from Frederick County, Howard County, and Carroll County substantially

affect transportation conditions (Transportation, 2015). One of the main goals Damascus

Master Plan is to improve the efficiency of the roadway systems within the area.

There are 3 state highways that provide primary access routes. Approximately 60% of the

traffic along these routes is actually through-traffic. While these two-lane highways are often an

inefficient mode of travel the Damascus Master Plan recommends retaining this two-lane

network to protect the rural and agricultural character if the Damascus area (Transportation,

2015.) The average commute time is nearly 40 minutes for the 89.3% of the workers who travel

out of the community for work.

There is a park-and-ride lot available, but only 9% of commuters choose to carpool. Of

the remaining employed population 5.2% work from home, 0.6% walk to work, and 3.9% use

public transportation. (Transportation, 2015) (see Appendix F for a transportation comparison

between workers in Damascus to workers in Maryland and nationwide). For the small population
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of workers who choose to use public transportation, route 90 on the Montgomery County Ride-

On public bus system provides daily service Monday through Friday between Damascus and

Shady Grove. (DOT transit, 2017)

Safety. Damascus has a below average crime rate for all crimes, including crimes against

property and person. The crime rate for violent crimes is 0.93 per 1,000 resident and 12.55 per

1,000 for property crimes. Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery, and assault. The chance

of becoming the victim of a violent crime in Damascus is 1 in 1,073, compared with 1 in 219 for

the state (Damascus MD crime rates and statistics, 2017). Damascus is protected by the

Montgomery County Police Department. Damascus has its own Volunteer Fire Department that

is part of the Montgomery County Department of Fire Rescue Services. On average, they

respond to 135 fire/EMS calls per month. (Damascus Volunteer Fire Department Inc., 2017).

Adequacy of Healthcare Services and Providers

Damascus offers several options for healthcare, including urgent care centers, family

physicians, laboratory services, and chiropractic care. There is also an adult medical day

program, Eldercare of Damascus that provides a social supportive environment for those in need

of supervision and care during the day to help prevent social isolation and boredom. It is open

Monday-Friday from 8:30 am 3:30 pm and operates van service to and from the facility

(Eldercare of Damascus, 2012).

At the county level, Damascus is conveniently located close to several major hospitals in

neighboring cities. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services operates

Montgomery Cares, a medical care program for uninsured adults. This is a community-based

program that provides medical preventive care, sick care, and access to specialty services
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including behavioral health. Montgomery Cares has 12 agencies in over 25 locations throughout

the county (Montgomery cares, 2017).

Strategic Community Planning

Strategic planning can be described as a providing a roadmap to where the company is

going, and directions on how to get there (Drewniak, n.d., p. 2). Healthcare organizations can

use strategic planning to establish a plan to deliver quality care services shaped by its ongoing

mission. Planning needs to be an ongoing fluid process able to adapt and change as new

information is discovered. Communities develop strategic plans in order to identify goals and

objectives and provide a framework for identifying discrepancies in services, developing needs

awareness, and structuring a thoughtful response to the identified areas.

For purposes of this assignment, I reviewed three strategic plans as I studied my chosen

community, using the information gleaned from them to identify community health needs and

formulate goals and objectives to meet them. The first plan is the Damascus Master Plan (see

Appendix G for a link to this document), which was adopted in 2006. It is the current plan being

used for community planning to improve land use, housing, transportation, environmental

resources, community facilities, and historic preservation (Damascus master plan, 2006).

The second strategy plan is the Community Health Needs Assessment in Montgomery

County (see Appendix H for the link) developed by Healthy Montgomery, an interdisciplinary

team committed to improve access to health and social services, achieve health equity for all

residents, (and) enhance the physical and social environment to support optimal health and well-

being (Leventhal, 2016). The resulting follow-up plan to this needs assessment is the

Community Health Improvement Plan (see Appendix I for the link), which uses the strategies
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identified in the Community Health Needs Assessment to focus improvement efforts in the

priority areas of obesity, behavioral health, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and

maternal and infant health (Community health improvement plan [PDF], 2017.

The third strategy plan is the Community Health Needs Assessment (see Appendix J

for the link) and the follow-up Community Health Needs Assessment Implementation Strategy

(see Appendix K for the link) undertaken by Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center

(SGMC). Since Damascus is in the service area of SGMC, I have chosen to evaluate this

hospitals needs assessment and implementation strategy to help identify three community health

diagnoses.

Community Health Needs

Focusing on the information in the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and

subsequent Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), several key community health

needs were identified. During the needs assessment, community members identified several

characteristics of a health community, including: access to healthy foods, safe neighborhoods

and places for physical activity, affordable housing and transportation, and quality education.

Although these needs do not appear health-oriented in nature, the underlying social processes can

greatly impact health outcomes for a community.

The CHNA also identified that diet and physical activity are the best way to manage

chronic health problems. Programs that combine both strategies will be the most effective. Four

chronic conditions were noted as the most prevalent obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease

and cancers. Previously, when looking at data from Montgomery County and Maryland, cancer,

heart disease, and diabetes were highlighted as the leading causes of death.
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Community Health Problems

1. Montgomery County has prostate and female breast cancer rates that exceed both

the state and national rates with 16.1 cases per 100,000 people.

2. Montgomery County is in the top 50% of all counties in Maryland for percentage

of adults with diabetes.

3. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Maryland with approximately 25%

of all deaths in the state attributed to heart disease.

Goals and Objectives

Cancer

Goal: Improve the early screening and detection of cancer to decrease the incidence of

prostate and female breast cancer to less than 10 in 100,000.

Objectives:

1. Provide free breast cancer screenings to low income/uninsured women annually.

2. Sponsor special programs such as Look Good, Feel Better

3. Conduct cancer support groups in a variety of settings including faith communities

and outpatient centers.

Diabetes

Goal: Among known diabetic patients in Montgomery County, improve the percent who

receive the recommended number of hemoglobin A1C screenings each year.

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Objectives:

1. Provide diabetes education classes free of charge to the uninsured.

2. Work with community clinics to provide hemoglobin A1C screenings free of

charge.

3. Collaborate with community clinics to provide continuity of care between

outpatient and inpatient physicians. Montgomery County does not meet the target

recommended by Health People for high blood pressure, which is the leading

cause of heart disease.

Heart Disease

Goals: Improve the proportion of adults with hypertension whose blood pressure is under

control (less than 120 systolic) by 10%.

Objectives:

1. Provide free blood pressure screenings on a regular basis at health fairs, senior

centers, low-income housing areas, and community center.

2. Organize heart health education events within the community.

3. Organize walking events in the community to stress the important of exercise in

controlling blood pressure.

Conclusion

Named as one of the top 50 places to live in the United States by Times Money

Magazine (Bortz, 2015), Damascus, Maryland, is a picturesque rural community that has stayed

true to its agrarian roots while still adapting to the change and growth. Overall, the population is
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healthy and stable with adequate services to meet the communitys needs. Continued education

and provision of services to low-income and uninsured is needed to promote health and wellness

in Montgomery County. It is one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the state and with that

diversity comes unique challenges in regard to health care.

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References

20872 unemployment rate report. (2017). Retrieved from

www.homefacts.com/unemployment/Maryland/Montgomery-County/Damascus/20872.html

Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center 2017-2019 Community Health Needs Assessment

Implementation Strategy [PDF]. (2017, May 15). Retrieved from

http://www.adventisthealthcare.com/app/files/public/4202/2017-CHNA-SGMC-

ImplementationStrategy.pdf

Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center 2017 2019 Community health needs assessment [PDF]. (2016,

November). Retrieved from http://www.adventisthealthcare.com/app/files/public/3949/2017-CHNA-

SGMC.pdf

Agricultural facts. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/AgServices/agfacts.html

Air quality law. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/green/air/law.html

Allender, J. A., Warner, K. D., Rector, C. L., & Allender, J. A. (2014). Community and public health nursing:

Promoting the public's health. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Health.

American community survey demographic and housing estimates. (2015). Retrieved from

https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF

Bortz, D. (2015, August). Best Places to Live 2015. Retrieved from http://time.com/money/collection-

post/3984462/damascus-maryland-best-places-to-live-2015/

Boundary map of Damascus, Maryland. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.maptechnica.com/city-

map/Damascus/MD/2421475map/Damascus/MD/2421475
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Census of agriculture: Data for Maryland [PDF]. (2012). Retrieved from

http://www.mdp.state.md.us/msdc/census_agriculture/Farm_Farmland/2012_Census_of_Agriculture_Farm

s_Farmlands.pdf

Community health improvement plan [PDF]. (2017, April 24). Retrieved from

http://www.healthymontgomery.org/content/sites/montgomery/Healthy_Montgomery_CHIP_2017-

2019.pdf

Damascus demographics & statistics. (2017). Retrieved from

https://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/MD/Damascus-Demographics.html#Crime

Damascus master plan. (2017, February 13). Retrieved from

http://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/communities/area-3/damascus/

Damascus MD crime rates and statistics. (2017). Retrieved from

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/md/damascus/crime

Damascus population by age. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.clrsearch.com/Damascus-

Demographics/MD/Population-by-Age

Damascus public schools. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.publicschoolreview.com/maryland/damascus

Damascus Volunteer Fire Department Inc. (2017). Retrieved from http://damascusvfd.com/about.html

Damascus, MD childcare centers. (2017). Retrieved from

http://childcarecenter.us/maryland/damascus_md_childcare

Damascus, MD profile: Facts, map & data. (2017). Retrieved from

http://maryland.hometownlocator.com/md/montgomery/damascus.cfm
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Data USA. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://datausa.io/profile/geo/damascus-md/#category_heritage

Definitions of community health assessments and community health improvement plans [PDF]. (n.d.). Retrieved

from http://archived.naccho.org/topics/infrastructure/community-health-assessment-and-improvement-

planning/upload/Definitions.pdf

DOT transit. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT-

Transit/routesandschedules/allroutes/route090.html

Drewniak, R. (n.d.). 7 steps to healthcare strategic planning [White Paper]. Retrieved from

http://www.hayesmanagement.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Whitepaper-Hayes-White-Paper_7-Steps-

to-Healthcare-Strategic-Planning.pdf

Eldercare of Damascus. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.eldercareofdamascus.com

Geldis, K. (2012, February). The 15 richest counties in America. Retrieved from

http://www.businessinsider.com/where-the-one-percent-live-the-15-richest-counties-in-america-2012-

2?op=1/#th-richest-calvert-county-md-3

Healthy Montgomery: Community health needs assessment summary [PDF]. (2016). Retrieved from

http://www.healthymontgomery.org/content/sites/montgomery/Health_Montgomery_2016_CHNA_Summa

ry_Document.pdf

Highlights of the Damascus master plan [PDF]. (2015, October 29). Retrieved from

http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/damascus/documents/damascusbooklet.pdf

History of Damascus. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.dhsm.org/damascus-history.html

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Hogan, L., Rutherford, B., & Schrader, D. (2015). Maryland vital statistics annual report. Retrieved from

https://health.maryland.gov/vsa/Documents/15annual.pdf

Home and group home daycare in Damascus MD. (2017). Retrieved from

http://childcarecenter.us/maryland_homecare/damascus_md_city

Income map, earnings map, and wages data. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.city-data.com/income/income-

Damascus-Maryland.html

Leventhal, G. (2016, June 15). Community health needs assessment in Montgomery county [PDF]. Retrieved from

http://www.hilltopinstitute.org/Symposium16/LeventhalSlides.pdf

Montgomery cares. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HHS-

Program/Program.aspx?id=PHS/PHSAdultMedforUninsured-p1440.html

Outdoor air quality. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/green/air/outdoor.html

Profile of general population and housing characteristics. (2010). Retrieved from

https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF

Public water and sewer service. (2017). Retrieved from

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/water/supply/public-water.html

QuickFacts: Damascus, MD. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/damascuscdpmaryland/POP010210

Transportation. (2015). Retrieved from

http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/plan_areas/rural_area/planning_process/planning_board_

draft/august2015/transportation.pdf
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Vital statistics jurisdictional data. (2015). Retrieved from https://health.maryland.gov/vsa/Pages/Jurisdictional-

Data.aspx

Watershed health. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/water/streams/watershed-

health.html
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Appendix A

The pictures below were taken during my Windshield Survey of Damascus, Maryland.
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Appendix B

The map below shows the location of Damascus within Montgomery County.
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Appendix C
The chart below defines the Air Quality Index rating system.
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Appendix D
The chart below compares the number of farms by size in the 2007 and 2012.
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Appendix E
The chart below compares population by age in Damascus, Maryland, to state and national

figures.
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Appendix F
The chart below provides a transportation comparison between workers in Damascus to

workers in Maryland and nationwide.

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Appendix G

The link below is for the current Damascus Master Plan adopted in 2006.

http://montgomeryplanning.org/planning/communities/area-3/damascus/damascus-

2006/
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Appendix H

Below is a link for the Community Health Needs Assessment in Montgomery County

document.

http://www.hilltopinstitute.org/Symposium16/LeventhalSlides.pdf
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Appendix I

Below is a link for the Community Heath Improvement Plan document.

http://www.healthymontgomery.org/content/sites/montgomery/Healthy_Montgomery_CHIP_20

17-2019.pdf
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Appendix J

Below is the link for Community Health Needs Assessment conducted by Adventist

Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center.

http://www.adventisthealthcare.com/app/files/public/3949/2017-CHNA-SGMC.pdf
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Appendix K

Below is the link for the Community Health Needs Assessment Implementation Strategy

developed by Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center.

http://www.adventisthealthcare.com/app/files/public/4202/2017-CHNA-SGMC-

ImplementationStrategy.pdf