Hurricane Harvey Case Study

Health policy can be defined as the “plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society”. According to the World Health Organization, an explicit health policy can achieve several things: it defines a vision for the future; it outlines priorities and the expected roles of different groups; and it builds consensus and informs people. There are numerous categories of health polices, however the area that I will be discussing throughout this reflections paper is public health in regards to Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area, the health policies that fall within it, and steps for forward movement.

Many deaths by destruction of homes and drownings had occurred from the torturous rainfall that was caused

Agenda setting is when “public attention focuses on a public problem or issue” (Cardinal, 2018). The TDSHS saw the issue that arose from Harvey’s flood waters and sought out measures to resolve this specific health issue. In the second phase, development, policy makers in the “legislature and the bureaucracy take up the issue: they create legislative, regulatory or programmatic strategies to address the program” (Cardinal, 2018). After the TDSHS consulted with branches of government, which include legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. After the polices in which to resolve the issues of Harvey’s flood waters created and presented in front of the government branches the third and fourth phase, adoption and implementation occurs next. Adoption is when “policy makers formally adopt a policy solutions usually in the form of legislation or rules” and implementation occurs when “government agencies begin job making the policy work by establishing procedures, writing guidance document, issuing grant-in-aid to the other governments” (Cardinal, 2018). An example of the government actions is when the TDSHS issued health precautions for people in suffering from the flood waters. In regards to the environmental hazards the TDSHS recommendations such as protecting yourself form mosquitoes bites an EPA- registered insect repellent, returning home in daylight for best visibility to be aware of any unsafe power sources, and to always were shoes in post-flood areas to reduce the chances of punctures or cuts from nails and other sharp objects (Texas Department of State Health Service, 2018). An example of government aid the Federal Emergency Management Agent (FEMA) had pre-positioned supplies and personnel in the state, ready to join the Texas Division of Emergency Management, local agencies, nonprofit and faith-based organizations and the private sector in responding to the devastation